Shinigami Academy
by Minielf
Summary: Karin, Orihime and the other former Karakura townsfolk begin their studies at the Shinigami Academy. Part three of the New Order trilogy. Features a lot of school related drama, comedy and action. Crosses over with the New Order.
1. Chapter 1: Orientation Day

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

* * *

Chapter 1: Orientation Day

The alarm went off at six in the morning. Kurosaki Karin, or more precisely, Shiba Karin, woke up feeling all dizzy. For a second she forgot what she was supposed to wake up for, but then she remembered it was the first day of the academy. Only a day ago, she and Yuzu had officially moved into the Shiba Manor after hauling all of their belongings from the thirteenth division barracks. Now, she and Yuzu were to begin their first steps into becoming a Shinigami. She got up from her bed and went to the bathroom. The first thing she did was look into the mirror. As usual, she was disgusted at how girlish she had become. The short, tomboyish hair she had when she was a child was replaced by scruffy looking locks that went past her shoulder. Her chest had also expanded, and no matter how hard she tried to tape it in, she couldn't hide the fact that she was fully grown woman now.

"Man, why was I cursed with this body?" she said to herself as she started straightening her hair. After a quick wash of her face, she put on the white kimono and red hakama that all female students of the academy were required to wear. When she was done, she walked over to Yuzu's room and knocked on the door.

"Hey Yuzu, it's time to get up!" she yelled out. Karin checked the door and discovered it was unlocked. She was astounded to find Yuzu still fast asleep on her bed. As she was about to wake her up, Karin froze for a moment and glanced at Yuzu. She was the spitting image of their mother Masaki, except her hair being brown rather than red. Though she never admitted it, Karin was secretly envious of Yuzu, not only for her beauty, but for her friendly character. She got along well with almost everyone she met, whereas Karin preferred to be alone. Karin shook out of her brief trance and shook Yuzu gently.

"Come on Yuzu, we're going to be late for school," Karin pestered her sister again.

"What are you doing Bostov? You're rubbing my body so hard…" Yuzu mumbled in her sleep. The drool coming out of her mouth suddenly popped, causing her to wake up with a start. It took her a second to register that Karin was there.

"What are you doing in my room Karin-chan?" she asked.

"Have you forgotten? The academy starts today! We have to be there in an hours' time!" Karin exclaimed. Yuzu gave a big yawn before getting up. Unfortunately for Karin, she spent a long time in the bathroom doing up her hair and cleaning herself. When she was finally dressed and ready, there was only twenty minutes to go. The two of them hastily grabbed a few rice balls before heading out the gates of the Shiba Manor and running as fast as they could across Seireitei.

With only a minute to go, the Kurosaki twins made it to the front entrance of the academy. Already there were hundreds of people gathered outside the entrance, waiting to be let in. All of them were dressed in the hakamas and kimonos of the academy.

"Wow, are all of these people studying to become Shinigami as well?" Yuzu asked.

"I think a lot of them are just the people Oni-chan forcibly enlisted," Karin replied. As the two of them waited to be let in, they bumped into some familiar faces.

"Karin-chan, Yuzu-chan, what a surprise to meet you both!" Inoue Orihime exclaimed with delight. Since her separation from Amaterasu, she had gone back to her old ditzy and cheerful self. She still wore her hair clips, even though she no longer had her powers.

"Orihime-san, we haven't seen you in ages," Yuzu said.

"That's because I've mainly hung around with Tatsuki-chan and the others," Orihime laughed. She paused for a moment, before an idea came into her mind. "How is Kurosaki-kun? Is he doing well?" Karin shrugged her shoulders.  
"How would I know? He's a captain of the Gotei 13 now, and a busy one at that," she said.

"Oh yeah, have you heard? Oni-san and Rukia-san are going to have children," Yuzu added. Orihime was so shocked that she couldn't even speak.

"Who's going to have children?" asked a voice from around the corner. It was Tatsuki. She had not changed much in the last five years, for she still had a slim, robust body.

"Tatsuki-chan, it's so nice to see you again," Yuzu said.

"Nice to see you too. Were you talking about Ichigo?" Yuzu and Karin nodded.

"He and Rukia-san went on a round the world trip, and during the trip Rukia-san got pregnant," Karin explained. Tatsuki was also surprised, but not as much as Orihime was.

"So, Ichigo is going to have children eh? I'm not that surprised," Tatsuki closed her eyes and smiled. She then noticed Orihime's stunned face. "What's the matter Orihime?"

"I…still can't believe Kurosaki-kun and Kuchik-san are having children already," Orihime sighed. "It almost seemed like yesterday that they married."

"You should stop thinking about Ichigo, Orihime. I bet there's going to be plenty of handsome looking men we can go out with. Men who are even better than Ichigo."

"What are you saying Tatsuki-can?" Orihime asked. Before the four of them could say anything else, the front gates of the academy opened, and the sea of people who had gathered were allowed in. The Central Spirit Institute Academy, as it was formally called, was a truly imposing structure. It had a huge central keep area that rose a dozen stories above the ground and two separate wings nearly five hundred meters apart. Near the front door of the building was a set of tables where officials dressed in blue kimonos sat. Upon the tables were numerous large sheets, and a huge box.

"Welcome, future students of the academy," the official in the centre of the tables said to Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki. "Before we give you permission to enter the great hall of spirits, you must state your name and draw a paper out of the box. That number will be your enrolment number. It shall be used to allocate you into different classes. Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki each stated their names and drew a paper from the box. The official recorded their names and numbers down in a large book. Just as the four girls were about to go in, a brown-haired boy who looked about twelve or thirteen stood in front the official.

"State your name and draw out a number please."

"Shibata Yuichi," the boy replied and drew a number from the box. As soon as Karin heard the name, she turned around and stared at the boy's face. _It can't be! It's the boy who was stuck in the parakeet!_ Just then, the boy turned around and stared at Karin. In an instant their faces met, and something intangible was shared between the two of them.

"What are you doing Karin-chan? Let's get inside!" Yuzu tugged Karin's sleeves. Karin reluctantly followed her sister in.

A few minutes later, the four girls sat beside each other inside the Great Hall of Spirits, the vast chamber inside the academy's main building. The hall was shaped like a giant auditorium, with thousands of seats lined up in rows that stretched four hundred meters from the central platform at the front. Seated on the central platform were two dozen or so teachers, all dressed in grey kimonos and black haoris. As the audience of students patiently waited for the ceremony to begin, Karin glanced up at the ceiling. At more than a hundred meters above the ground, the ceiling created an intimidating atmosphere that reminded Karin of her face day at primary school. She turned her eyes from the ceiling and glanced at the people around her. It was then that she caught sight of the brown-haired boy again. He was sitting a few rows to the rear of her, and had also caught sight of Karin. They stared at each other again. The boy smiled just as someone stepped up to the podium at the front. Karin turned around and looked to see who it was. It was a Shinigami from the Gotei 13, who was wearing a grey and blue haori over his black Shihakusho.

"Hello there, new students of the Shinigami Academy," he addressed the crowd. "I am Taneko Minazawa, coordinator of enrolments, but also the third seat of the Gotei 13's fifth division. As many of you are well aware, the academy is reopening again after a four year hiatus. The lot of you who are gathered here today represent the first of many successive waves of recruits that will help bolster the numbers of the Gotei 13, the Onimitsukido or the Kido Corps, and form the new generation of Shinigami. Before I explain the enrolment procedures and assign you to your classes, I would to introduce the headmaster of the Academy to speak to you all. He is my commanding officer, and the hero of the Heavenly War. Let's give a warm welcome to Captain Kurosaki Ichigo!" In an instant the surrounding lights in the chamber dimmed, leaving only a single light that zeroed in on another who appeared on stage. His appearance was unmistakable to Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki, even though the clothes he was wearing were different. To the applause of nearly all the students who were gathered, headmaster Ichigo, wearing a large blue and white coat over his captain's haori, took to the podium.

"Thank you for introducing me Minazawa," he said in a lighthearted man. "Now, I am sure most of you know who I am from my exploits over the years, so I won't need to boast about who I am. Nor will I go through the boring administrative work, which Minazawa will speak to you about afterwards. I am just here to express how happy I am to see so many of you promising individuals with potential to become strong Shinigami. No doubt some of you are intimidated by the prospect of entering a lifetime of service for Soul Society, but trust me when I tell you that it's not going to be as frightening as my initial experience as a Shinigami." Those who had known Ichigo were well aware of what he was talking about. Others had heard rumors about him being the legendary 'Substitute Shinigami' prior to becoming captain.

"The concept of studying at a school to become a Shinigami may be hard for many of you to comprehend, but for people who originally came from the real world, think of it as a school that you attend so that you can get a job in the after-life. It's the greatest opportunity for anyone, whether from Rukongai or Seireitei, to be part of something special, and to rise in rank and status. But, as with anything as prestigious as this, becoming a Shinigami carries a set of risks and responsibilities that all of you should be aware of. Service to the Gotei 13, Onimitsukido or the Kido Corps is a lifetime duty. Furthermore, whether in combat or in peace time, you are representing an institution going back some two thousand years, so be sure to carry yourself with dignity and respect. I would like to finish up by saying one last word of advice: Enjoy your time here." With that, the captain of the fifth division waved to everyone in the audience and disappeared into the shadows, leaving a crowd of students in awe at his presence.

"Was that really Kurosaki-kun? He sounds so different from the Kurosaki-kun I knew," Orihime sighed in remembrance of happier times.

"Of course Ichigo's different now. You are too. We're all different from what we were when we were alive. However much we complain about it, we're part of this Soul Society now," Tatsuki said. Karin and Yuzu treated Ichigo's speech in a different manner. Yuzu admired at how grown-up sounding her brother had become, whilst Karin thought he sounded the same as always. After a short interlude, Minazawa took to the podium again.

"Well, I hope all of you enjoyed the headmaster's welcoming address," he said. "Now, for the nitty gritty stuff you've all been waiting for. Sitting beside me here are the teachers who will be supervising you for the remainder of the year. In a moment, I will start calling out the enrolment numbers. These will be grouped into classes. Students whose numbers fall into the same class should proceed to the respective rooms that are marked on the map that each of you has been given. There are forty classes in total, grouped into four different wings. Classes belonging to the same wing will all share the same dormitory facilities."

Although Minazawa still had more to say, the bulk of his instructions had already been given. When he was done with the introductions, he started calling out the numbers. Just then, a huge holographic screen appeared above the stage displaying several sets of numbers. On the left was the class code, starting with A1, and going all the way to D5. On the right was a long list of numbers which represented the students that were selected for each class. Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki were all somehow grouped into class B1, which was a pleasant surprise.

"Hey, we're all going to be in the same class," Orihime said. "Isn't that great?"

"I hope the others from our former Karakura high school are also in our class," Tatsuki said. The four girls walked down the rows and exited the chamber after their numbers were called out. Following the directions on the map, they proceeded to the classroom which was marked B1. Upon reaching the door to the classroom, the four girls waited in the corridor for the teacher to arrive.

"This school is so intimidating," Tatsuki said. "It's so huge and grand and old. I feel a little bit scared. Do you Orihime?"

"Not really. I've been in lots of dark towers which were far bigger than this place, so I'm used to it," Orihime smiled. Just then, the crowd of students shifted a bit, resulting in a couple of familiar faces appearing before Orihime and Tatsuki.

"Oh my god, it's my beloved Orihime-sama!" a crazed Chizuru exclaimed. Without wasting a second she dived at Orihime, her hands aimed straight at her breasts. She got within an inch of her goal, before Tatsuki gave her a knuckle sandwich to the head.

"Still as perverted as ever Chizuru, even though you're dead," Tatsuki sighed.

"He, he, he, death hasn't changed me at all," Chizuru drooled from her mouth.

"Look, it's Tatsuki-chan and Orihime-chan!" Natsui Mahano, one of Orihime and Tatsuki's classmates from Karakura High School, exclaimed. She was accompanied by Ogawa Michiru and Kunieda Ryo, two other fellow classmates.

"It's been a long time since we've seen them," Ryo commented. She was holding a book in her hands.

"Mahana, Michiru, Ryo, you're all here as well," Orihime smiled. "It's almost like being back at our old high school again."

"Have you forgotten about us?" an arrogant male voice spoke from behind them all. When the girls turned around, they saw Keigo and Mizuiro, both wearing the blue and white hakama and kimonos of the male students.

"Ha, I'm surprised the two of you managed to pass the entrance exam!" Tatsuki laughed.

"Hey, don't look down on me! I could see ghosts as good as you when we were still alive you know!" Keigo protested.

"So what?" Mizuiro asked. "It's not like we have high spirit energy like Orihime or Chad." Keigo went into a raving tantrum that was swiftly silenced by Tatsuki's fist.

Tired of the antics of the elder Karakura high schoolers, Karin walked to another section of the crowd.

"Where are you going Karin-chan?" Yuzu asked.

"To find some peace and quiet. I couldn't stand those others who arrived," Karin replied. She regretted saying those words when she bumped into three faces she hadn't seen in a long while. They were Hashigami, Kaneda and Ino, a group of video game nerds in Karin and Yuzu's former class who had a disliking for them.

"Argh no, it's the dreadful Karin!" they all shouted simultaneously.

"I can't believe the three of you also passed the entrance exam," Karin shook her head and walked away from them. She only covered a few steps when she stumbled into the brown-haired boy she had seen earlier. 'Boy' was actually a misnomer, since he was only an inch shorter than Karin at most.

"You…you were the boy who was trapped in the parakeet!" she gasped. The boy nodded.

"Shibata Yuichi," he introduced himself to Karin. "You look a lot like the Shinigami who rescued me and sent me here."

"That's because I'm his sister," Karin said. "I'm Kurosaki Karin and the blond haired girl next to me is my sister Kurosaki Yuzu." Yuichi was surprised to find out that they were siblings of the Shinigami who had performed Konso upon him.

"So both of you are his younger sisters. No wonder I felt something familiar when I saw the two of you outside," Yuichi smiled. "I met your brother once when he visited Rukongai."

"You saw Oni-san again?" Yuzu asked. "When was that?"

"It's probably when Ichi-nee went to Soul Society the first time." Yuichi nodded.

"He was accompanied by the big guy who saved me when I was stuck in a parakeet, along with three others. I must say, he was the reason I was enrolled in this academy. I want to become a Shinigami as powerful as he is, so that I can protect other people, instead of other people protecting me." Karin and Yuzu were touched by Yuichi's words; they sounded remarkably similar to words that Ichigo had frequently said to them. Karin was about to say something to Yuichi when a loud voice suddenly brought the entire crowd to a standstill.

"Alright everyone, stand to attention!" a feisty, middle-aged woman with brown hair, glasses and wearing a grey kimono with a black haori called out. She unlocked the door to the classroom and ordered the fifty or so students inside. The interior of the classroom rather plain, with about a row of about tent or so tables that stretched across the ream. Each of the tables had enough space to sit five people side by side. Once everyone had found a spot and sat down, the woman with the grey kimono stood behind the desk at the front.

"Good morning everyone," she said. "I am Inari Kasumi, and I shall be your home-room teacher. As some of you may be aware, this is the freshman class 1 of group be. It's a special advanced class where only those who achieved the most exemplary results in the entrance exam are allowed to enroll in. Naturally enough, all of you here did extremely well in the exam, which is why you're all here. I hope of all of you will do your hardest to excel in every discipline, and aim to achieve the highest rank possible within the ranks of the Gotei 13, the Onimitsukido and the Kido Corps." Just then, one of the students raised a hand.

"Uh, teacher-san, why are we in group B and not in group A? Is group A superior?" he asked. The teacher shook her head and smiled.

"Not at all," Kasumi replied. "The groups are merely convenient ways of sorting all of the candidates out. We randomly divided the one thousand students into four separate clusters and then ranked everyone in those clusters according to academic results. Thus, there should be no difference between this class, and the class ones of the other three groups. Don't think for a second that being in group B makes you inferior to group A, or any other group for that matter."

The fifty students in the class all nodded in agreement.

"Now, I shall explain what all of you are going to experience throughout the school year," Kasumi said. She turned around and started writing Kanji, Katakana and some symbols on the blackboard. Although the characters were quite legible and easy to read, the words they spelt out were incomprehensible to nearly everyone. Karin tried hard to understand what they were, but words such as Zanpakuto, Konso, and hell butterflies confused her. When Kasumi finished writing everything down, she took a deep breath before smiling happily at her students.

"Judging by your expressions, I'm guessing what I've written on the blackboard is complete gibberish to all of you. Throughout this year though, you will be begin to familiarize yourself with these terms and learn them off by heart." She picked up a baton from the desk and pointed to a table with six different subjects written.

"These are the classes you'll study throughout the year. Two of them are theoretical based and will be taught in this class," Kasumi explained. "One will teach you about the basics of being a Shinigami, including the equipment that all Shinigami must use. The other is a class that teaches the history and culture of Soul Society. The remaining four classes though are mostly practical based. They are training courses that will teach the basics of Shinigami combat, Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohou and Kido. Although you'll all be staying in the same group, you'll have four different teaches supervising these classes.

"Finally, for the students here who come from the Rukongai districts, the academy has four large dormitories that can accommodate everyone from each of the four groups. Also, throughout the year there will be amble opportunities to interact with students from the other groups, including competitions that involve competition between the groups." The teacher went on for quite some time explaining a few more administrative matters. Then she handed out pieces of paper and assigned a small introductory writing task. As Karin got to work writing a brief story about herself, she started thinking to herself that this academy was becoming like a school from the real world.

* * *

Notes: I know a lot of readers of my previous works have been anticipating the return of Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki, Orihime and the glimpse of the Shinigami Academy, so I hope all of you won't be dissappointed by this opening chapter. I drew upon as much of the material from episode 46 of the Bleach anime as possible, so the descriptions of the academy, the clothes that the students and teachers wear, and a lot of the dialogue used by the teachers and Ichigo himself is drawn straight from the manga. Also, keen fans of the manga may notice the return of several minor characters who haven't appeared since the early chapters. Most of them will just round out the class, but one notable exception is Shibata Yuichi, the boy who was trapped inside the parakeet and then sent to Soul Society by Ichigo. He will play a big role in future chapters.


	2. Chapter 2: Shinigami Classes

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki have begun their education at the Shinigami Academy, along with many of their former Karakura High classmates. After an inspiring speech by the headmaster of the academy, Kurosaki Ichigo, the four girls are sorted into Class B1. Karin soon finds out that almost all of the friends from Karakura town were enrolled in the same class, but she also stumbles upon the boy who had been trapped in a parakeet, Shibata Yuichi. Now a citizen from Rukongai, Yuichi has enrolled in the academy in order to become a Shinigami like his hero and saviour, Kurosaki Ichigo.

* * *

Chapter 2: Shinigami Classes

Karin struggled to stay awake as she listened to her form teacher, Inari Kasumi, drone about the responsibilities and duties that all Shinigami had to perform. As she pretended to listen, she looked around the classroom to see what the others were up to. Yuzu was busily jotting down everything in her flower-covered notebook. Orihime and Tatsuki were trading drawings, and Keigo and Mizuiro were acting like buffoons. But then she noticed that Yuichi was listening to teacher Kasumi intently, with a silent but determined expression on his face. _He seems so serious_, Karin thought.

"And I want you all to remember the number one golden rule of being a Shinigami; our aim is to protect the safety of all living humans and souls," Kasumi spoke. "Killing hollows is just one part of our duties. Of far greater importance is ensuring the safe passage of all souls from the real world to Soul Society, and making sure that living humans do not become aware of the supernatural." She closed the book of notes she always carried and addressed the classroom again.

"Today's class is finished, but before all of you leave, I want to make some quick announcements," Some of the students secretly moaned that she still had more to say. "Practical classes for Kidou and Hohou start tomorrow. You will be supervised by expert instructors in the field. Everyone is to revise their Kidou notes and memorize the incantations for Hadou 31, Shakkaho. Alright then, class dismissed!" Teacher Kasumi's words left more than a few students confused, but Karin, who had gone through the Kidou textbook, knew what she was talking about. As she left the classroom, she spotted Yuichi who was heading towards the B group's dormitory area.

"Hey Yuichi, wait up!" she shouted. Upon hearing Karin's voice, Yuichi turned around.

"Oh hello there. You're Kurosaki Karin aren't you?" he asked. Karin nodded.

"Are you staying in the dormitories?"

"Yeah. Since I come from Rukongai, I don't have a home to go to. What about you Karin? I almost never see you or your sister after school finishes."

"Well, Yuzu and I live in the Shiba Manor, which is quite close to the Academy."

"You live in at the Shiba manor? Does that mean you're part of the Shiba clan?" Yuichi asked. Karin nodded with a smile.

"Yep, my father is Shiba Isshin, the former patriarch of the family," Karin replied. "He's no longer the head though; dad passed on the leadership to my brother Ichigo." As soon as Karin mentioned Ichigo, Yuichi's face lit up in surprise.

"I see, so the headmaster of the Academy is also the head of the Shiba family," he remarked. "Wouldn't that make you and your sisters members of the nobility?"

"I guess it does, but I've never thought of it that way," Karin admitted. "Even after we found out Oni-chan and Otoo-san's secret identities, Yuzu and I still considered ourselves to be ordinary people. It's going to take a while for us to adjust to our status."

"I'm sure you handle it quite well," Yuichi smiled. "See you tomorrow in class Karin." He waved goodbye and turned around. Karin watched as he disappeared down a corridor. Then with a heavy sigh she headed home.

When she got back to the manor, she was greeted by Yuzu who was wearing an apron.

"Welcome back Karin-chan," Yuzu said. "What took you so long to get home?"

"I stopped for a chat with Shibata Yuichi," Karin replied.

"Oh, isn't he the brown-haired boy that keeps on staring at you? I bet the two of you are going out!" Yuzu laughed.

"We are definitely not!" Karin yelled angrily. "Anyway, where is Oni-chan and Otoo-san?" Yuzu shrugged her shoulders.

"They both haven't come back yet. I'm guessing they're busy with their captains' responsibilities. Do you want to eat now or wait for them?"

"I'll eat now. Just leave my meal on the table." Karin walked up the stairs to her room and threw her bag onto the floor. Then she dropped down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. _Why do I feel the urge to be around Yuichi all the time? Perhaps Yuzu is right, maybe I do have feelings for him_, she thought to herself. To take her mind off from thinking about him, she pulled out her Kidou textbook and started reading.

The next morning, Karin and Yuzu woke up early and quickly got dressed and packed. They rushed over to the academy and found their way to the Kido target practice course. To Karin's surprise she found that Yuichi had gotten to the practice course before them.

"I think you're the earliest one here Yuichi," Karin said. Yuichi looked up.

"I don't much to do in the dorms so I thought I'd arrive here early and memorise the chant," he replied.

"Wow, you're even more diligent than I am," Yuzu said with amazement. "And I thought I had studied hard. This probably means you're well prepared for the test." Yuichi shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure. I did poorly in the initial spirit channelling exercises so I might have problems controlling my reiatsu."

"Don't worry about it. I think most of the other students in our class will struggle with this test," Karin said. The three of them waited just outside the practice grounds as the rest of the class gradually turned up. Orihime, Tatsuki arrived accompanied by Chizuru, Michiru and Ryo, followed by the three geeks from Karin's old school. The last to arrive were Keigo and Mizuiro, who seemed more concerned with chasing girls than on the test. A few minutes after the entire class had assembled outside the practice course, the instructor for the Kido test arrived. He was a young-looking man with short cropped back hair, and wore the standard blue teacher's uniform.

"Good morning students, I am the teacher who will be supervising your Kidou tests, Furenka Kenichi," the teacher said. He motioned all the students to head inside. Then he ordered the group to split into five separate rows and line up horizontally facing the ten circular targets.

"I shall briefly explain how the test will precede," the teacher said in front of the entire class. "The students of each row will line up and take their shot at the target using the prescribed Kidou spell. Each student has a minute to complete their incantation, although further time is given if the initial attempt fails." With that, the teacher stepped to one side and allowed the first row to stand up. Among the students in the first row were Orihime and Tatsuki. They and eight other classmates pointed both arms in front of their bodies, with one hand clasped against the other. Upon Teacher Kenichi's signal, they started their incantations.

"Great Sovereign! Mask of Blood and Flesh, All Things of Creation, Flutter of Wings, The one who bears the name of Man, Inferno and Pandemonium, the Sea Barrier Surges, March to the South! Hadou 31, Shakkaho!" the ten students all chanted in unison. The results of their incantations were mixed. Most ended up shooting fairly weak red balls of energy that veered widely off course. Tatsuki somehow couldn't even manage to produce the ball; her spell fizzled in her palms. Orihime however, produced an almost perfect shot, landing a ball directly in the centre.

"That was a great shot, Miss Orihime!" Teacher Kenichi exclaimed. "You have rather impressive control over your reiatsu." Orihime blushed at the teacher's compliment. Tatsuki on the other hand, stamped angrily in frustration and tried the spell again. This time she produced a very small red energy ball that popped a few metres from her body.

"Argh! This is so damn annoying! Why can't I get it to work?!" Tatsuki shouted.

"Miss Tatsuki, please see me after this test. We need to work on your reiatsu control," the teacher said to her. As the first row of students made way for the second row, Tatsuki was left feeling embarrassed at having to be forced to do catch-up work.

The second row featured Yuzu, Chizuru, Keigo and Mizuiro, along with several other former Karakura high students. They repeated the Kidou chant and once again each of them produced different effects. Keigo and Chizuru managed to fire energy balls that missed the target completely, whilst the others including Mizuiro failed to even produce the energy ball. Yuzu however, managed to fire a shot that was even more accurate than Orihime's, for her ball penetrated the exact centre.

"Wow, I did it," Yuzu said. Teacher Kenichi heaped the same praise upon her as he did with Orihime. Having seen how good her sister was, Karin was under pressure to perform well. As she lined up to take her shot, she concentrated on getting her aim right. She performed the chant flawlessly, but her resultant energy ball was larger than normal and took off the upper portion of her target. _Damn, I failed to hit the target!_ Karin swore in her mind. She didn't have much time to ponder her performance, for Yuichi, who had taken longer than usual to chant the incantation, fired an enormous red energy ball that flew out of the practice course. It landed in a courtyard nearby and exploded into a fireball that rose high into the air. The other students, and the teacher himself, were astounded and frightened at the display.

"That was quite a show, Mr. Yuichi," Teacher Kenichi commented. "You appear to have an incredible amount of spirit energy, but you lack the ability to control it. You should see me after this test as well." Yuichi bowed his head in embarrassment. After everyone finished doing their test, the class was dismissed, but those who were told to stay behind discovered to their dismay that they had to do remedial Kidou classes.

After the lunch, the students of class B1 were told to head to the special-purpose gymnasium that lay adjacent to the main Academy building. None of them were told what they were going to be doing, but as soon as Karin stepped into the gymnasium, she realized that they were about to undergo a Hohou class. The interior of the gym was massive, but what really caught everyone's eye was the fact they were standing on a platform at least twenty metres above the ground. On the other side of the gym was a similar sized platform, but there was a gap in the middle that was more than fifty metres across. Karin glanced at Yuzu and Orihime, who both seemed to realize what they were here for. The other students however stood around without a clue, until a woman from out of nowhere appeared right in front of them. She had long curly pink hair, and as she stood up, she revealed a pair of fancy-shaped glasses.

"Good afternoon class!" she shouted in an excited voice. "I'm the Academy's Hohou instructor, Shimazaki Ryoko. Today I'll be teaching you the basics of Hohou." She stopped for a moment when she saw the confused expressions on her students' faces.

"Uh, miss, what is Hohou again?" Keigo asked.

"Did you people even study your textbooks? Hohou is the art of movement. One of the primary abilities a Shinigami has is the ability to respond to situations and orders as quickly and efficiently as possible," Teacher Ryoko explained. "The basics of Hohou are simple. It involves a manipulation of the reishi around us. Just as Shinigami use the reishi within to perform Kidou, Zanjutsu and Hakuda, we use the external reishi to move out in the air. Those of you who are astute may have noticed something strange when you walked into this gymnasium. That is because the gym has a special Kidou barrier that limits the Sekki-sekki field around Seireitei which exerts a gravitational force. In layman's terms, this means we are able to float inside this room."

"To float? You mean like flying? Is that actually possible?" Chizuru asked.

"Of course it is. Floating, or more strictly, Bukujutsu, is the simplest application of Hohou. All Shinigami are required to learn it in order to be assigned to missions in the real world," Teacher Ryoko explained. "The first task I want all of you to do is to practice gathering reishi beneath your feet and hover a few steps from the platform. Don't worry if you mess up, for there are trampolines below that will cushion the fall." After the teacher finished her instructions, all fifty students of the class lined up along the platform.

Upon the teacher's signal, Karin took a deep breath before she stepped out over the ground below. Much to her surprise, she found it quite natural to reishi beneath her feet and soon enough was even able to stand still in mid air. She saw that Yuzu, Orihime and even Yuichi all managed it quite easily. The others however, had considerable difficulty. Keigo and Mizuiro instantly fell onto the trampolines below, whilst Tatsuki, Chizuru and the other girls flapped their arms about to prevent themselves from falling. Teacher Ryoko allowed those who managed on the first try to rest as the others struggled to master Bukujutsu.

"I must admit the four of you have impressed me," she said. "Very few academy students have managed to hover on the first try. Does this mean you all have quite good control of your Reiyoku?" Karin and the others all shrugged.

"It's something that just comes to us naturally I guess," Orihime replied.

"Is that right? Well, I'm happy to see that you're all very talented," Ryoko smiled. Eventually, the other students in the class managed to grasp the basic concept of Bukujutsu.

"Alright, now that everyone here has a hang on how to levitate, we shall move onto the next Hohou ability, Shunpo," the teacher addressed the class. "Shunpo is a move that involves manipulating the reishi below your feet to actually move through the air rather than just hover in one spot. You can liken it to jumping without using physical force. I'll give a brief demonstration of how to do it." Ryoko ordered the class to stand back a bit. Then she took a few run-up steps below kicking off from the platform with her feet. In one single leap she managed to land on the platform at the other end. This caused nearly everyone in the class to gasp in amazement. She then leaped back with just as much ease.

"That was a really basic Shunpo I just demonstrated. It normally is much faster, but I slowed it down in order for you to see the movements clearly," the teacher explained. "It all comes down to kicking off at the right time and then maintaining the reishi particles under your feet as you do so. Skilled practitioners of Shunpo are able to do traverse huge distances in one leap whilst others can do utilize multiple quick steps to move incredibly fast." When Ryoko was finished with her demonstration, she ordered the entire class to practice leaping as far as they could towards the opposite platform. Most of the students froze in shock, wondering how they could possible do something like that.

"Hey, making that leap is such a simplistic task," Keigo gloated. "Just watch me!" With a five metre run-up, he ran as fast as he could towards the platform's edge and then jumped into the air. For a brief moment, Keigo's classmates were amazed by his leap. But then with a rather comical inevitability, Keigo plummeted to the earth, landing flat on his face. Teacher Ryoko just sighed as the entire class burst out laughing.

"Mister Asano has just demonstrated to you all of what not to do when attempting Shunpo," Ryoko said. "Jumping with your physical body will have absolutely no effect. Now, does anyone want to volunteer to go first?" She waited for what seemed like a minute, but no student was willing to practice it, in fear of ending up like Keigo. Just as the teacher was about to pick an unlucky person, Karin put up her hand.

"I've got the hang of it, Teacher Ryoko," she said. "And I can do it easily."

"Go on then," the teacher motioned. With an almost laidback attitude, Karin walked right to the edge of the platform. Then in a single movement, she Shunpo-ed right to the other platform. Then she Shunpo-ed back in a nonchalant fashion. It was a performance so amazing that even Ryoko herself was shocked.

"That was an impressive display, Kurosaki Karin," the teacher. "The Shunpo you demonstrated is of a third seat level Shinigami officer standard. The rest of you should take your cue from her and try to leap as far as possible. After the class ended, almost the entire class rushed to heap praise on Karin.

"How did you did do that?" Tatsuki asked. "I didn't even see you take a step."

"I don't know," Karin shrugged. "It's something I picked up on when I was in my real-world soccer team. All of the soccer players used to leap across the field very quickly by using the tip of their feet." Apart from Yuzu, who knew what she was talking about, everyone else was confused at Karin's explanation.

* * *

When Karin and Yuzu arrived at their classroom next day, they were surprised to see a notice on the door.

"What this note about?" Karin asked. Yuzu read it carefully.

"It says all members of Class B1 are to head to the Academy's combat training hall. There is to be joint Hakuda and Zanjutsu training session with Class A1," Yuzu said.

"Huh, we're going to be sparring with those snobs from A group?" Tatsuki asked. Soon, all of the students in the class read the notice and started making their way to the combat training hall. Like the gymnasium, the combat training hall was enormous, at least two hundred metres in length. The interior was quite plain, with a blue ceiling and walls lined with red struts that formed a lattice structure. The floor was nothing but bare timber. As Class B1 entered, they could see the students from Class A1 sitting in a row that stretched right along one side of the hall. Standing at the opposite end of the hall was an instructor who was wearing the teacher's haori over his Shinigami uniform.

"Welcome, students of Class B1," he spoke from a loudspeaker. "Please sit along the side of the arena opposite Class A1." After everyone sat down with their knees bent, the instructor walked to the middle of the hall. Karin could see he was a youngish looking man with black hair.

"My name is Koizumi Tanaka, the fifth seat of the fifth division," he proclaimed proudly. "I'm also the co-ordinator of the Academy's Zanjutsu and Hakuda program. As the top ranking students on the entrance exam, you should have all demonstrated a basic grasp of combat skills, and furthermore, the lessons you've had so far will have introduced the key concepts of Zanjutsu and Hakuda. So instead of boring you all with another long drawn-out lecture, I've decided to let you guys and girls have some fun. The reason why both classes are here in this hall is because you're going to spar with each other." As soon as Tanaka said the phrase 'spar with each other', all of the students in the room lit up in surprise. Seeing the expressions on their faces, Tanaka did a slightly menacing grin.

"I'm sure at least a few of you would relish the chance to prove the superiority of your own class, and to settle some schoolyard grudges," Tanaka smiled. "Well, here's your opportunity. For the next three hours, students from either class can volunteer to spar against the students from the other class. There are no rewards for winning the most fights, but neither will you be forced to fight either. Students who aren't confident in their fighting ability can choose to opt out. Those who are confident can select which style they wish to contest, whether it is a Hakuda fist fight, or a Zanjutsu duel."

As Koizumi Tanaka walked to the other end of the hall, he turned around and bid the first students to get up and participate. Almost straight away, one student from Class A1 stood up. He was an incredibly robust and muscular man, standing more than seven foot-tall tall.

"I will be the one to fight for my class!" he proclaimed triumphantly. "Who dares to take me on?" For a while, nobody in class B1 volunteered to stand up. Everyone appeared to be afraid and astounded by the sheer size and apparent strength of the person.

"I recognise him," Yuzu said quietly.

"Really, do you know him?" Orihime whispered to her.

"I met him when Karin and I were invited to the grand dinner for the nobles of society. He's the son of the Julius clan, one of the five great noble families. I have no idea what he is called though."

"Julius Bruticus, son of the famous Julius clan," Tanaka nodded. "Very well then, someone from Class B1 must volunteer to challenge him."

"I'll fight him," Tatsuki offered, much to the shock of Orihime and her fellow Karakura friends. She walked out into the middle of the arena and faced down the gigantic Bruticus.

"What, a scrawny looking girl like you wants to fight me?" Bruticus asked. "Mwa, ha, ha, ha, this is going be the easiest fight ever!"

"Go on Bruti-chan, take that girl out in one punch!" A sleazy looking girl who had been sitting next to him yelled out.

"Arisawa Tatsuki from Rukongai, you have permission to fight Julius Bruticus," Tanaka said. "The two of you should choose the method of combat."

"I'm going to tear her apart using my bare hands!" Bruticus gloated.

"So it's going to be Hakuda eh?" Tatsuki asked. "That's a relief. Hakuda happens to be my specialty." Tanaka gave the two challengers the permission to begin. Without wasting a moment, the fierce Bruticus charged at Tatsuki and threw an enormous punch directly at her face. Orihime, Chizuru and Keigo all covered their eyes in horror, unable to bear watching. Tatsuki however smirked as she saw the fist come at her. She tilted her body to the side a bit, raised up her right arm and blocked it with her elbow. The impact caused a slight shockwave on the ground. But the far bigger shock for Class A1 was seeing their champion's ultimate blow blocked without the opponent suffering any damage.

"What the hell? How did you block it?" Bruticus asked in confusion.

"It's simple really. I just stiffened my body against the floor and allowed the shock of the blow to bypass me," Tatsuki replied. "It's one of the most basic moves of martial arts."

"A basic move of martial arts? What kind of peasant shit is that?" Bruticus spat on the floor. "A weakling like you can't possibly go against my sheer strength!" He attacked Tatsuki again, this time attempting to strike at her neck with a deadly arm chop. Though to most of the onlookers Bruticus' attack was incredibly fast, Tatsuki was able to side-step his attack again. She then grabbed hold of his arm with both of her arms, pinning him down.

"Let, let go you bitch!" Bruticus shouted, trying to free himself. Tatsuki simply smirked. She tripped Bruticus' legs and then using the weight and momentum of his body, flung Bruticus upside down, causing to hit the ground hard on his back. At this point, everyone in the hall, including Tanaka himself, was amazed at Tatsuki's display.

"Urgh, how, how were you able to throw me so easily?" Bruticus asked, trying his hardest to get up again.

"I just used your own body weight and turned it against you. When I blocked your first attack, I realized you were a fighter who relied on your upper body strength. That meant your legs were wide open. It was a simple thing to trip you up and then use the momentum of your fall to flip you over." Tatsuki's words seemed to fall on death ears for Bruticus, who still couldn't comprehend how he got beaten by a girl.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked in strained voice, before attempting to get up one final time.

"I'm Arisawa Tatsuki, tenth degree black belt in Karate and master of Judo," Tatsuki replied, before landing a thumping ankle kick directly onto Bruticus' face, knocking him out cold. The definite final blow signalled the end of the bout. Tanaka stood up and motioned two fourth division healers who had been standing guard outside to take the unconscious Bruticus away. Then he moved close to Tatsuki.

"That was an extraordinary performance, Arisawa-san," he whispered in her ear. "Where did you learn your Hakuda skills."

"In the real world. Hakuda is essentially martial arts isn't it?" Tatsuki replied. Tanaka smiled happily, before allowing Tatsuki to sit down.

"You were awesome Tatsuki-chan, I knew your karate skills would be no match for everyone else!" Orihime exclaimed.

"I think I'm starting to fall in love with you after that display," Chizuru tried to seduce Tatsuki, only for Tatsuki to pound her in the face. Koizumi Tanaka then called for the next two combatants to come forth. Almost immediately, one student from Class A1 stood up. He was a dashing blood haired man, with shimmering golden locks, crystal blue eyes and a sparkly grin that seemed to cause the hearts of all nearby woman to melt. Even some of the girls from B1 couldn't resist his charms.

"Who is that handsome pretty boy?" Michiru asked. "He's so good-looking."

" I recognise him!" Karin exclaimed. "He's from the Laodemon clan." The blonde-haired man took out a bokuto and did a series of flourishes with it in the air, before pointing it to the ground.

"Laodemon Paris, heir to the throne of Laodemon," he proclaimed. "Anyone dare challenge me?"

"Ah, you're Priam's son. I heard you're already something of an expert in Zanjutsu," Tanaka commented. "I look forward to seeing you fight." Paris waited impatiently for an opponent, until in a surprising turn of events, Yuichi stood up, much to Karin's shock. He walked onto the arena, grabbed a bokuto from Tanaka, before facing Paris.

"Who the hell are you, shortie?" Paris asked in a condescending voice."

"Shibata Yuichi, from Nishi Rukongai fifth district," Yuichi replied.

"Interesting. A Rukongai peasant wishes to challenge a noble like myself. I hope you will provide me with a worthy challenge!" Without wasting a single movement, Paris struck at Yuichi, thrusting his bokuto out with lightning speed. Yuichi barely managed to parry it aside with both hands. He did not expect however, for Paris to circle his sword right under Yuichi's guard and strike him directly in the collar bone. Though the force of the attack was not great, Yuichi nevertheless gasped in pain and fell back. He clutched his, with the area where he was struck throbbing incessantly.

"Huh, only one blow and you're done? You're absolutely pathetic," Paris spat at Yuichi.

"It's not over yet," Yuichi retorted. "I'm still standing aren't I?"

"Then I'll just have to knock you down!" Paris charged at Yuichi, using multiple short fencing steps to close the distance, before lunging forward. This time, Yuichi saw through his movement and knocked his blade away. Then in a counterattack, Yuichi raised his sword above his head and slashed down at Paris with both hands. Paris blocked Yuichi's attack with his sword. Then in a single motion, he shifted to the side and riposted in a thrust that aimed to take out Yuichi's left eye. Yuichi barely managed to evade it, with Paris still succeeding in cutting a small slash across Yuichi's left cheek.

"It's over. I drew first blood. If this was a real battle, you would be dead," Paris said. He lowered his Bokuto. "Lower rank scum like you should never think about challenging us nobles. Honestly, did you mother even teach you about that?"

"My mother died long before I was sent to Soul Society," Yuichi said forcibly.

"Ooh, that's harsh," Paris faked concern. "I bet she'd be disappointed at how weak her son is. Or maybe, she was weak herself, which is why she died." As soon as Paris spoke those words, something triggered within Yuichi. In a sudden outburst, he let loose an incredible flare of reiatsu that blanketed the entire room in spiritual pressure, causing numerous students to wither under the strain and knocking a few unconscious. Even Tanaka found the reiatsu stifling. As Paris stared in awe at the amount of reiatsu Yuichi was emitting, his hands started to tremble.

"Don't you ever, ever, insult my mother again!" Yuichi screamed. "She gave her life to protect me, and I carry her spirit within my heart!"

"Her spirit is in your heart? What nonsense are you talking about?" Paris tried to sound cool.

Trying to end the fight quickly, he charged at Yuichi again and swung downwards at his head. In a shocking surprise, Yuichi blocked his sword with his left hand. Then, in one incredible attack, he slashed Paris across the chest. The force of the blow was so powerful that it sent the noble flying several metres into the air. Paris landed hard on his back and skidded a few more metres before stopping. The conclusion of the bout was so unexpected that one on in the hall made a sound. Yuichi turned to face Tanaka the instructor.

"Teacher, I won didn't I?" he asked. Tanaka snapped out of his brief trance.

"Uh, it looks like you did," he replied. Yuichi smiled happily.

"That's good to know," he said. Then, in another shocking moment, his spirit pressure disappeared and he fell to the ground unconscious. Tanaka quickly called more fourth division healers to take both Yuichi and his opponent to the healing bay. As he motioned for the next students to spar, he secretly jotted down a few comments in his notebook. _Shibata Yuichi, he will be an interesting figure to watch, _he thought.

* * *

Notes: I apologize for the very long delay between the first and second chapters, as I was more focused on the New Order. I hope I made up for it in this larger than usual chapter. I basically took the segments of Shinigami training from Episode 46 of Bleach and expanded upon them, putting as much detail in as necessary. I got the explanations for the Bukujutsu from Volume of the manga when Zangetsu explained to Ichigo how to gather spirit particles to check his fall as he was recovering his Zanpakto. Shunpo was a logical extension of that concept. For the two bouts, I tried to incorporate some real world combat moves as part of Hakuda and Zanjutsu. Hence stuff like judo throw and the fencing riposte. There are some characters who appear in this chapter who are worth mentioning.

Koizumi Tanaka: He is the fifth seat of the fifth division, and was also the same rookie who appeared in chapter 25 of Bleach: After the War. I never bothered to give him a surname, so until now he's just been called Tanaka.

Julius Bruticus: The son of the Julius family. The Julii are one of the five great noble clans, alongside the Shibas, the Kuchikis and the Shihouins. The patriarch of the Julius clan will be appearing in the next two chapters of the New Order.

Laodemon Paris: The son of Priam, and heir to the Laodemon family. The Laodemons are another one of the five great noble clans and are allied with the Julius clan.


	3. Chapter 3: School Life

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: Karin, Yuzu, Orihime, Tatsuki and the other former Karakura High classmates begin their education to become Shinigami. As members of Class B1, they are among the top ranking students at the Academy. The four girls, along with a boy from Rukongai, Shibata Yuichi, outperform even the rest of their class in the four skill tests that every student must complete. Orihime and Yuzu demonstrate their skill and knowledge of Kido, Karin shows off her incredible her Shunpo ability, Tatsuki applies her real world karate skills to Hakuda, and finally Yuichi manages to defeat the top ranking student of A1, Laodemon Paris, in a straight sword fight. Their names soon become known throughout the Academy...

* * *

Chapter 3: School Life

Sunlight streamed through the window of Shibata Yuichi's dormitory. Still feeling tired of a staying up late to finish off schoolwork, Yuichi struggled to get out of his bed, but then he remembered it was Saturday. Somewhat relieved that he didn't have to attend classes, Yuichi fell back onto his bed again and sighed.

Five months had passed since he began studying at the Academy, yet during this time he had yet to connect with other the other people in his class. He had a crush on Kurosaki Karin, the daughter of the Shiba family, but in his heart he knew it was but whimsical dream to ever imagine him being with her.

"What am I doing here?" Yuichi wondered. "All this time I feel like I'm just going through the motions. Every single day I always end up alone by myself." He glanced at the table beside him and saw a picture of his former 'brother' Hironari. Memories came flooding back to his mind, memories that were both wonderful and painful.

"I'm sorry I haven't lived up to the promise, Hironari..." Yuichi started sobbing.

* * *

On the same day, inside one of the Academy's lecture theatres, a group of girls from Class B1 and B2 gathered together for a strange meeting. There around twenty or so people in all, and all of them were mostly familiar with each other.

"Alright everyone, settle down now!" Honsho Chizuru, self-proclaimed lesbian, slammed her fist on the lectern. The other girls in the room stared at her eagerly. "I have called you all here in to declare the founding of a most wondrous body-the Shinigami Girl Students Association!" Everyone in the room gasped, even Chizuru's close friends such as Orihime, Tatsuki, Michiru, Ryo and Mahana were surprised by the announcement.

"Any questions so far?" Chizuru looked at the faces of her fellow students. Inevitably the hands went up, the first one being Michiru's. "What is it Michiru?"

"Eh Chizuru, what exactly is this association going to look like?" Michiru asked.

"Oh come on, don't you remember the student union from our old days in Karakura High School? We're going to bring it back, except this time it will be girls only," Chizuru said smugly.

"Why does it only have to be girls? I think we should form a group that comprises the guys as well. It would be unfair to leave them out," Mahana suggested.

"Huh? Are you kidding Mahana? The boys on the campus are all stupid or stuck-up!" Chizuru exclaimed loudly. "They can go and form their own group if they like. Now, let's leave the questions aside and start thinking about who our leaders are going to be. I'm going to be the President of course, but the other positions are undecided at the moment. The spots are completely open, so everyone is free to declare themselves."

"I suggest you list out all of the positions first before you let us fight amongst ourselves," Ryo said to Chizuru. "You wouldn't want to some of us to get stuck with useless titles now."

"I guess you're right Ryo. I'll write them all down on the blackboard." Chizuru got out a marker pen and started writing the positions one at a time. As she did so, Orihime and Tatsuki, who had been silent all this time, started discussing amongst themselves.

"What do you think Orihime? Those spots look quite promising," Tatsuki whispered.

"Ooh, one of the titles is the treasurer of the money. I so want that job!" Orihime exclaimed. All up, there were roughly ten positions available, ranging from vice president to treasurer to class representatives and even the chief newsletter editor.

When Chizuru finished writing the titles on the blackboard, the other girls started a heated scramble for the spots. Unfortunately there wasn't a good way for Chizuru to decide who would get what jobs, so instead she started playing favourites. Chizuru, Mahana and Ryo were instant picks for the top spots, being vice captain, deputy vice captain, and treasurer respectively. "Hey that's no fair Chizuru-san! I wanted to be treasurer!" Orihime complained after Chizuru announced the first three positions.

"Eh Orihime, I don't think you would have made a good treasurer," Tatsuki whispered. "Didn't you once go without food for a week because you spent all the money on stuffed animals?"

"Oh yeah I forgot," Orihime said.

"I'm so sorry for not picking you, my darling princess, but Ryo is just so good with numbers!" Chizuru spoke in a dramatic manner. "I know, you can be our chief graphics designer!"

"Yay, that's an awesome job!" Orihime jumped for joy on the spot. Chizuru asked Tatsuki what she wanted to do be but Tatsuki didn't care. She was caught off guard when Chizuru named her the Association's chief enforcer.

"What the hell does that title mean?" Tatsuki asked.

"It's your job to beat up any boys who try to sneak into the meeting. You're the most butch girl in the class right?" Tatsuki was so mad she wanted to punch the crap out of Chizuru but Orihime calmed her down. The final five spots went to the girls in the B2, after an informal tally vote.

"Alright then, now that all the spots have been decided, I would like to announce our first piece of good news," Chizuru said. "We have officially received recognition from the Shinigami Women's Association." A collective gasp suddenly went around the room. "And in an even greater news, the president of the SWA has decided to honour us with her most esteemed presence!" Chizuru motioned everyone to look at the doorway, where all of a sudden the face of Kusajishi Yachiru popped up.

"Hi everyone!" Yachiru called out.

"Oh my god she's so cute!" nearly half the girls in the room screamed out.

"What do you think, President Kusajishi-san?" Chizuru asked Yachiru.

"I think this is a great idea. It could give the Shinigami Women's Association a lot of possibility," Yachiru smiled. "In the future we could make all of you associate members!"

"That's good to know. And will you supply us with funds that we can use?"  
"Hmm...I'm not sure. I don't take care of the finances. My vice president Nanao does all the week. I would have called her along but she's too busy with her captain." The girls in the room all sighed in disappointment.

"That's okay. We'll find our own way to raise money," Chizuru smiled. "Now then, care to join us in celebrating the founding of our association, President Kusajishi-san?" Chizuru got out several boxes contains numerous cakes and other sweets. Yachiru's eyes immediately lit up.

"Wow, so many cakes!" Yachiru squealed in delight. "I'd be happy to join you!"

As Yachiru and the girls of the Academy ate, drank and partied, they were being watched by a pair of unseen eyes.

"Would you look at that Mizuiro," Keigo whispered. "Those darned girls have formed their own little clique!"

"They've managed to invite a lieutenant from the Gotei 13 as well," Mizuiro added. The two of them had managed to sneak into the attic above the lecture theatre and through a small, almost undetectable manhole, they had watched over the entire meeting. Not wanting to be found out, they decided to head back out onto the corridor.

"I'm so pissed off that they've done something like this," Keigo clenched his fists. "Aren't you Mizuiro? They don't even allow any guys to wander in!"

"I don't see why that's unusual at all Keigo-san. Chizuru, Michiru and Ryo formed a similar group at the our old high school remember?"

"Well then, if they can form a club of their own, so can we! Let's find some guys and form a Shinigami Boys' Club!" Keigo declared.

* * *

A day later, Karin and Yuzu arrived at the Academy dormitories after spending a night out with their father, brother and sister-in-law Rukia.

"Karin-chan, I've heard the girls in our class have formed an association by themselves," Yuzu said. "Do you want to join?" Karin shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't give a damn. I'm more comfortable hanging around the guys anyway, so I don't see why I should be part of a girl's only club. You can join them if you wish," Karin said.

"But I'll be lonely without you," Yuzu protested.

"I'm sure Orihime-san and Tatsuki-san are members of that club too. You'll have plenty of company," Karin waved Yuzu goodbye as she headed for the Academy's sports oval. She went into the girl's change room and quickly put on the soccer uniform that her father had given her for her birthday. After placing her bag in one of the lockers, she stepped out onto the oval. She barely walked a few metres in when she was confronted by a group of students, all of them male, who looked much older than her.

"What are you doing here, little girlie?" a man with a stud in his nose stared down at Karin. "We're busy playing football here."

"I've come here to play football as well," Karin smirked. "Got a problem with that?"

"You think a scrawny girl like you can mix it with us guys?"

"Bring it on. Unless you're all too chicken to face up to a girl like me."

"Fine then, how about this: let's player special football game, all of us versus just you alone. All you have to do is to try to get a ball through the net," the man with the nose stud said.

"Huh, something as simple as that?" Karin asked. "You should have picked something harder." This ticked up all of the men, who couldn't believe she would have the nerve to think about taking them on all at once. The man with the nose stud simply grinned, knowing that Karin would get utterly crushed by them.

The six male players faced off against Karin by herself, with the two parties separated by the centre line.

"First one to score five goals wins. There is no time limit and there are no set rules or penalties, other than not using our hands," the man with the nose stud said. Karin agreed with the conditions and waited for the game to begin. The soccer ball was placed on the line and after a round of Janken Karin won the right to go first. She dribbled the ball between her feet at first, trying to figure out the movements of the six men.

"Make your move already! I'm tired of waiting!" the man with the nose stud shouted.

"Fine then," Karin grinned. Without warning she Shunpo-ed with the ball right in front of the men. Before they could react she ducked and weaved between all six of her opponents and managed to get clear. With a completely open goal she easily scored a shot.

"How was that?" Karin asked. The men were still shocked at what had happened.

"That was a fluke shot," the man with the nose stud said. "You took us all by surprise."

"Is that so? Then why don't you try to get past me?" Karin taunted them. They responded by charging all at once towards her. Karin quickly retreated up the field, allowing her opponents to get a shot at goal. One of the men kicked the ball directly in the middle, but Karin stunned them all by Shunpo-ing to the goalposts and head butting the ball away. With the ball still in play Karin got to it well before the men did and kicked it across to the other side of the field. Then in a series of Shunpo steps she caught up with the ball and kicked it into the goal on the other side.

"Impossible! No girl can move that fast!" the men all exclaimed.

"I guess you guys haven't heard of Shunpo before," Karin said. The remainder of the game was completely one-sided, with Karin outmanoeuvring her feeble-footed opponents and scoring goals in quick succession. Unbeknownst to Karin, her game was being watched by Yuichi, who was sitting on a seat at one end of the football ground. When Karin scored the last shot and left the group of men to wallow in despair, Yuichi got up to congratulate her.

"That was an awesome display Karin-san," Yuichi said.

"Yuichi-kun, I didn't know you were watching!" Karin said in a surprised tone.

"I was just walking around the grounds when I saw you heading into the change rooms and coming out to take on those six guys. I was wondering though, what sort of game were you playing?" Yuichi asked.

"It's football," Karin replied. "I used to play it in the real world all the time. Are you interested in it?"

"I don't know...I didn't live long in the real world, so I'm not familiar with a lot of the real world culture that you and the other students in our class are familiar with."

"That's a pity," Karin sighed. "Hey I have an idea. Why don't I show you some of the activities the others are getting up to? Yuzu's practising dancing at the moment, so it would be a good idea to see how she's doing." Yuichi nodded enthusiastically and after Karin changed out of her sports clothes he followed her to the Academy's auditorium. When they got there the performance had already been underway for quite some time. Karin and Yuichi squeezed through the aisles and managed to find a pair of seats somewhere near the middle.

"Hey, is that Yuzu up there on the stage?" Yuichi pointed to the blonde hair girl dressed in a skin tight dress doing pirouettes in the middle. Karin nodded.

"Yuzu's always had a knack for dancing ever since the first grade," Karin said. "She may not be as fast as me but her body's far more nimble." Yuichi stared at Yuzu's graceful movements in wonder, admiring her incredible jumps and mid-air spins, as well as moment when she did a complete somersault before landing. Unbeknownst to them, another person was admiring Yuzu's moves at the same moment. Laodemon Paris and his sister were sitting in the rows at the very front, and he too was astounded by the performance on display.

"Isn't she a beauty?" he asked his sister Helena.

"Pfft. I can move better than her," Helena whined. Soon enough the performance was over. Karin and Yuzu walked around to the rear of the auditorium and waited for Yuzu to come out. Ten minutes later she appeared, dressed in her academy clothes and with a cloth wrapped around her shoulders.

"That was a great display Yuzu," Karin said.

"It was nothing Karin-chan," Yuzu smiled. Her eyes fell upon Yuichi. "Oh, Yuichi-kun you came to see me dance as well? Were you with Karin-chan?" Yuichi's faced turned bright red, and he hesitated to respond. This caused Yuzu to giggle.

"What's so funny Yuzu? I just invited Yuichi to come over because he was bored and didn't have anything to do," Karin protested.

"Oh sure you did Karin-chan," Yuzu stuck out her tongue and quickly ran away before Karin could respond to her insult.

"What was that about?" Yuichi asked in confusion.

"It was nothing. She's always like this when we're at home," Karin replied. Just then the clock struck six o'clock. "Oh crap, I'm going to be late for dinner. Well, I'd better get going now. See you at school tomorrow." Karin waved at Yuichi before running off. Yuichi tried to wave back but couldn't. He sighed with some regret as he began walking back to the dormitories.

Along the way, Yuichi came across a classroom that was open, with the lights on. Curious as to what was going on, he ducked in for a peak. Inside were two of his classmates, Keigo and Mizuiro, who were speaking to a group of boys from different classes in the B wing.

"Listen up guys, we're not going to stand for the fact that the girls have formed a group of their own and have barred us from participating!" Keigo shouted with a clenched right fist. The other boys all gave loud cheers. "In retaliation, we're going to form our own group, the Shinigami Male Students Association! I will be the captain and Mizuiro here will be my deputy. The rest of you are welcome to join us." The ten or so other boys all signed up, with Mizuiro jotting down their names.

"Alright, now that you've all gotten your names down, I would like to introduce two Shinigami from the Gotei 13, who have given their endorsement to our organisation!" Keigo gestured with his hands and from seemingly out of nowhere Ikkaku and Yumichika appeared. The other boys all gasped at seeing two of the mightiest officers from the eleventh division.

"Third Seat Madarame and Fifth seat Ayasegawa of the eleventh division, both members of the Shinigami Men's Association, have offered to support our organisation," Keigo said.

"Uh, actually, we're just here to hide from your crazy sister," Yumichika objected.

"What the-" Keigo was about to ask. He had no time to finish his question, for from down a long corridor Yuichi could hear the loud screams of a woman.

"IKKAKU!!!" the voice of Mizuho shouted as she barrelled down the corridor.

"Oh shit she's here already?" Ikkaku asked. He and Yumichika suddenly burst out of the classroom and ran for it, knocking aside a totally confused Yuichi.

"Come back here you no good husband!" Mizuho yelled. She was about to chase after Ikkaku when she saw the whimpering face of Keigo.

"What are you doing here Keigo? I haven't seen your face for months on end!" Mizuho exclaimed. Keigo tried to hide behind Mizuiro but Mizuho easily pushed him aside.

"Um, er, well, you see, Ichigo said I had spiritual pressure or something and recommended I enrol in this school," Keigo stammered. "Orihime-chan, Tatsuki-san and the other girls from our old high school are studying here too."

"Is that so?" Mizuho asked. "Then why wasn't I told about it? Do you know how bored I've been living in that stupid flat of mine?" Yuichi couldn't help but laugh as he saw Mizuho beat the living daylights out of Keigo.

* * *

The next day, Yuichi got up early as usual and quickly dressed and ate, before arriving at the class room well before his classmates. During the home room however, Yuichi noticed that Yuzu and Karin were noticeably absent.

"Eh, Kasumi-senpai, what happened to Yuzu and Karin?" he asked the teacher. Kasumi looked around the room, checked the roster and indeed noticed that the Kurosaki twins were missing.

"Oh I'm sure they're just away due to family reasons," Kasumi smiled. Yuichi was not reassured. During the early morning sessions he had a nagging feeling that something had happened with them. _Karin-san didn't say she had any family matters to attend to_, Yuichi thought during Kido practice.

His fears were realised when, at the start of lunch, someone from the A wing classes threw a paper plane at him. It landed on a table beside him. Yuichi looked around in an attempt to find his attacker but the culprit had already disappeared. He then opened the paper plane-and received a massive shock.

"_Come to the Academy Gymnasium at lunch time. We have a score to settle. If you don't show up those two Shiba girls are going to die. Laodemon Paris,_" Yuichi read the note that was written. Without a second thought he ran all the way to the gym and burst through the door. He received a second shock when he saw an enormous crowd of people, hailing from both A and B wings, standing around a table in the middle.

"Ah, Shibata Yuichi, how prompt you are at responding to my message," Paris appeared from the crowd and walked up to the table.

"Where are Karin and Yuzu?" Yuichi asked.

"They're right here," Paris pointed with his hand. Yuichi's eyes widened when he saw both of them bound and gagged on the floor with asauchis held to their necks.

"You bastard!" he shouted at Paris. Paris grinned evilly.

"I only captured them to lure you here in order to settle a score with you," he said. "Since my humiliating defeat to you in the first joint Zanjutsu practice sessions, I've been waiting to get my revenge. But this time it won't be in a straight sword fight. Oh no. I want to break you down mentally and emotionally. Instead of fighting using our swords, we'll fight using our minds." Paris motioned to his cronies to bring out a Shougi board and placed it on the table.

"We're going to play a game of Shougi. If you win I'll release your friends, but if you lose their throats will be slit. Their lives are in your hands now," Paris started laughing like mad. A burning design to strangle Paris welled up inside Yuichi, but he held it back.

"Fine, I'll play your little game," he said. Yuichi sat down on a chair directly facing Paris. The Shougi board was laid out in front of them. Yuichi anaylsed the pieces carefully. He recalled the many games he had played with Hironari and remembered the tactics that he had been taught.

"Since you're the challenger, I'll allow you to go first," Paris said confidently. Yuichi nodded and began his first move. He shifted his rook to the left side of the board. Paris countered by shifting one of his generals diagonally forward. The first few turns saw both players build up their defensive fortifications, with Paris going for the Yagara castle position whilst Yuichi employed the Mino castle.

With the defensive phase over, the offensive part of the game began with Yuichi pushing as many pawns forward as possible. In contrast, Paris deployed his Bishop and Knights and managed to capture several of Yuichi's pawns in quick succession. Then in the following turns Paris redeployed the pawns he had captured, swelling his forces in the process.

"My army's way larger than yours now, Shibata Yuichi. There's no way you can win!" Paris gloated. Yuichi didn't respond. Instead he came up with a strategy to capture Paris' bishop and knights with his remaining pawns. The tactic was successful and soon enough Yuichi had four knights and two bishops. Caught off guard by Yuichi's move, Paris resorted to fortifying his defences even more, literally surrounding his king with pawns, before unleashing his gold and silver generals. Yuichi responded by having his knights, bishops and his rook all charge forward. They were gradually cut down again by Paris' generals but somehow Yuichi managed to break through the wall of pawns with his rook and get to the other side.

"Your defences have been breached," Yuichi said with a smile. "Now my rook has become the Dragon King." A shell shocked Paris frantically dropped the pieces he had captured, but Yuichi's dragon king captured his pawns in quick succession, and managed to push Paris' king to the left side of the board. Paris eventually managed to stop Yuichi's advance by capturing the dragon king with his lance.

"Your dragon king has been defeated," Paris said. "That was a good try but in the end victory is mine."

"Oh really?" Yuichi asked. He pointed to his left-side lance, which now had an exposed path to Paris' king. Before Paris could react, Yuichi pushed his lance all the way forward and captured the king. At that moment, everyone in the gym was shocked into silence. No one could believe that a boy from Rukongai had managed to defeat a noble like Paris in a game of Shougi.

"Impossible! No mere peasant should have the ability to play this well!" Paris shouted.

"I used to play Shougi with my friend in Rukongai all the time," Yuichi answered back. "He was a skilled Shougi player when he was alive, and he taught me everything there is to know about it." At this point Paris completely lost his nerve. He overturned the table and drew out an asauchi of his own.

"Enough is enough! I'm going to kill you for humiliating me in such a fashion!" he shouted. He barked at his cronies to kill Karin and Yuzu immediately, before attacking Yuichi head on. His sword came down at Yuichi's head, but Yuichi managed to catch it with his right hand. Though the blade cut through his skin, the wound wasn't deep enough to affect Yuichi.

"I should have known you wouldn't keep your agreement," Yuichi glared at Paris. "I should kill you for hurting my friends like this, but I know that would break the rules of the academy. So I'll just do this instead!" In a sudden movement, Yuichi kicked Paris hard in the grown before punching him deep in the stomach. Paris instantly dropped his sword and clutched his stomach in pain. Yuichi finished it by smashing Paris' face with his knee. With Paris lying cold on the ground, Yuichi proceeded to punch his cronies into submission. Then, as the students in the gym started violently attacking each other, Yuichi loosened Karin and Yuzu's ropes and tore off the tape around their mouths.

"Thank you so much Yuichi-kun!" Karin and Yuzu both went and placed their arms around him. "You saved our lives." Yuichi blushed in embarrassment.

"Uh, let's just get out of here for now," he said. The three of them ran out of the gym just as a host of teachers arrived and tried to quell the rioting students inside. After being questioned by the teachers, Yuichi, Karin and Yuzu were allowed to go back to their classroom.

"I didn't know you were such a good Shougi player," Karin said.

"I was taught by Hironari during the time he and I lived together," Yuichi said. "Apparently he was a junior national Shougi champion a long time ago, before he died of course. I used to play with all the time."

"Is that so? Anyway I bet you'll become really famous after this," Yuzu said excitedly.

* * *

Notes: I apologize for the long period between updates, namely due to me focusing on the New Order. Nevertheless, I hope this chapter is worth the wait. The only part of the chapter that I should discuss about is the Shougi match between Paris and Yuichi. I initially thought describing the match in detail, including each move they make but then I realized it would be too complex, plus I didn't have much personal knowlegde of Shougi myself. I was also considering adding a blackjack/poker game after the Shougi, but I ended up discarding it.


	4. Chapter 4: Rehearsal for the Festival

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: As Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki, Orihime, and the other former Karakura town citizens become accostomed to the daily ins and outs of the Academy, they begin to explore the other facets of Academy life. Tatsuki, Orihime and Chizuru manage to bring a host of fellow girls together and establish the Shinigami Girls Association, which receives the endorsement of the original Shinigami Women's Association. Karin finds an opportunity to practice her soccer skills, whilst Yuzu practices ballet and dancing. Shibata Yuichi however, struggles to fit in with the other people in his dormitory and find something he enjoys. Until Karin and Yuzu and kidnapped by the despicable Paris, who challenges Yuichi to a game of Shougi, in order to get revenge for his previous defeat. With the lives of Karin and Yuzu in his hands, Yuichi demonstrates his hidden talent with Shougi, outwitting Paris at his own game before giving him another beat down...

* * *

Chapter 4: Rehearsal for the Festival

In the following months after the infamous Shougi match, Yuichi's name started to spread around the dormitories and the classrooms of the Academy itself, as Yuzu predicted. Soon, even girls who weren't even in the same form group tried to rush up to him and ask him out. His new found fame greatly unsettled Yuichi, and as he tried to cope with it, his anxiety about his growing popular image started to affect his academic performance. He found it much harder to concentrate in classes when his classmates were quietly discussing about him. He lost focus in the practical tests as well, frequently stuffing up easy to case Hadou and Bakudo spells and somehow managing to lose in Zanjutsu fights against opponents who were hardly the skill level of Paris.

To make matters worse, Yuichi didn't have a lot of people he could share his anxieties with. Karin and Yuzu were often absent from the academy on social or family reasons, whilst Orihime and Tatsuki were more focused on the Shinigami Women's Associations, which had grown rapidly in membership was now one of the most influential groups within the Academy.

Yuichi's only source of comfort was the one activity he had become famous for: the game of Shougi. After his defeat of Paris, he was approached by a few of his dormitory mates to help them set up a Shougi club.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in anything like that," Yuichi first responded to their pleas.

"On come on, you're by far the best Shougi player in the whole school!" one of the boys exclaimed.

"Yeah, you beat that arrogant snob Paris at his own game," another boy added.

"We're interested in playing Shougi too you know," a third one said. Yuichi had a long deep thought, wondering if he should get himself involved in any long-term associations.

"So you want me to teach you how to play Shougi?" he asked. "What for?"

"So we can better protect ourselves against those bastards from the A wing!" the first boy exclaimed. "They constantly challenge us to games of Shougi and then steal or extort money from us when we lose to them."

"They do what?" Yuichi was shocked that such a thing had been happening with great occurrence. He recalled the tense moments in his duel with Paris where the fate of Karin and Yuzu literally hung in the balance. "Alright, I'll teach you all how to play Shougi. But promise me that you'll only play it for fun and not use it as a means to win money from other people."

"Of course we won't. But if those students from the A wing challenge us again, we have every right to use the skills you teach us right?" the second boy asked. Yuichi nodded.

"I suppose," he said. And so he and his three other dormitory mates started the first Shougi club at the academy.

* * *

Karin and Yuzu returned to the Academy, still tired after spending a whole night stuck inside a hospital. The birth of Rukia and Ichigo's children still weighed heavily on their minds as they walked through the front entrance of the school.

"I'm glad to be back at school again," Karin said. "If I had to endure another day of being inside that manor I'd probably go crazy."

"How could you say that Karin-chan?" Yuzu asked. Don't you care about Rukia-san's children? They're both so young and helpless!"

"I'm sure that Rukia-san and Ojii-san will look after them. We'll only get in the way. Besides, we've missed out on a lot of classes already. I bet we're going to struggle to catch up." As the two of them headed to their form-room, they suddenly heard a voice from behind.

"Karin! Yuzu!" Yuichi called out. He had been playing Shougi with his mates when he saw their faces. "Where have you both been? I haven't seen you in ages."

"Oh, we were looking after our sister in law," Yuzu said. "She just gave birth to twins a day ago." Yuichi was taken by surprise.

"Your sister in law gave birth to children? I didn't know spirits could get pregnant," Yuichi said. Karin gave Yuzu a slap on the face.

"Ow, what was that for Karin-chan?"Yuzu complained.

"You could have just told him that we had some family issues!" Karin exclaimed. She noticed Yuichi's confused face and blushed in embarrassment. "Ah, we're so sorry for keeping something like this a secret from you. Onii-san didn't want too many people to know about it.

"I understand Karin-san," Yuichi nodded. "It's something that only nobles should know about right? I won't ask anymore about it. I'm just glad that you're back now. The two of you have missed out on a several important tests."

"Oh shit, we totally forgot about the tests!" Karin started to panic. "Kasumi-sensei is going to kill us!"

"There's no need to worry. Kasumi-sensei knows about your family issues as well. She told me that she had your tests deferred until you got back."

"That's a relief then," Yuzu sighed in relief. The three of them, along with Yuichi's Shougi buddies, went to their classes. Over the next few weeks Karin and Yuzu completed their tests without a hitch and quickly caught up with their schoolwork. School life appeared to have returned to normal, until an announcement in early October caught everyone by surprise.

"A school festival?" a dozen or so students of Class B1 all asked in surprise when their teacher Inari Kasumi told them the news.

"Yes, starting from next week, the Academy will hold a special festival in commemoration of the first anniversary of Soul Society's liberation," Kasumi explained. "It will coincide with a special visit by the Royal Family to Seireitei. In addition to the traders and performers from Karakura Cho that have volunteered their services, we'll also be allowing groups of students to perform their own theatrical acts in front of a large audience of people, including the Royal Family and the thirteen captains." As soon as Kasumi finished, her whole class lit up with excitement, with every student keen on getting something out of the festival.

"There is no limit to how large the performances are, or how many different groups can perform, but the students will need to script, rehearse and co-ordinate their own acts. Props and costumes will be provided by the Academy if necessary, but the teachers will not be assisting in the performances at all."

* * *

The announcement of the school festival and the proposed student theatrical acts generated a buzz of publicity across the campus. Large gatherings of students from all four dormitory wings began discussing potential ideas. One such gathering was the Shinigami girl's association, a group largely dominated by B wing girl students. Inside the B wing's home room, the senior members of the association, Chizuru, Orihime and Tatsuki, Michiru and Ryo met to discuss their plans.

"So we're going to perform in front of the captains and the King himself?" Tatsuki asked with a degree of scepticism.

"Of course! It will be the perfect opportunity for our names to become known throughout Soul Society!" Chizuru exclaimed.

"It seems like a tantalising prospect," Ryo said.

"What sort of play are we going to perform?" Michiru asked.

"Good question Michiru," Chizuru grinned. "I spent all last night writing the script for the perfect play. It is called 'The Virgin Lesbian's quest'! It's going to be about a virgin girl who is desperately trying to find the girl of her dreams but is constantly harassed by male suitors! It will be the ultimate romance!"

"Eh, Chizuru, the only people who'd be excited by it are lesbians like you and male perverts," Tatsuki shook her head. "Besides, there's no way any of us would be willing to act in a play like that."

"Hmph, fine then, let's hear your idea Tatsuki! I bet you don't have any better ideas!" Chizuru exclaimed.

"Um well, we could do a play about a girl who wants to be a boxer, gets trained by a venerable old master and beats up a lot of guys in the process," Tatsuki said excitedly."

"That idea would only suit you Tatsuki-san!" Chizuru complained.

"Hey, I think Orihime has something to show us," Ryo said. The four girls all looked at Orihime, who had been busily scribbling in a sketch book.

"Hee, hee, I'm actually delighted by my idea," Orihime giggled. She showed the sketchbook to the others. "Orihime-zilla, it's a play about a mechanised giant robot girl who goes around blowing up buildings but falls in love with the man of her dreams!" Chizuru, Tatsuki, Michiru and Ryo all looked at her with shocked faces.

"No Orihime, that's too violent and extreme!" Chizuru said in an exasperated voice.

"We could get punished by the teachers for doing something like that!" Tatsuki added. The five girls all sighed in despair, as none of them had a good idea for a play."

"Hey girls, what are you all talking about?" Karin asked as she and Yuzu walked by.

"Karin-chan, Yuzu-chan, it's so good to see the two of you here!" Orihime exclaimed.

"We're discussing ideas for a play that we can perform in the school festival," Chizuru said. "Do you have a suggestion in mind?"

Karin and Yuzu pondered for a moment and secretly whispered with each other, before a brilliant idea suddenly came to Karin's mind.

"I know what we can do: a play about the Karakura Superheroes," she said

"Karakura Superheroes?" Chizuru and Ryo asked with confused faces.

"They're a group of ordinary people with super powers who defend Karakura Town from hollows and other bad guys. Each member can transform into a costumed fighter, and the five of them are led by the enigmatic Don Kanonji, illusionist extraordinaire!"

"Oh, that is brilliant idea Karin-chan!" Chizuru exclaimed excitedly.

"Why didn't I think of that before?" Tatsuki shook her head. "Both Chizuru and I were once Karakura heroes before. It'd be great to dress up as those costumed alter-egos again."

"Huh, you were both Karakura heroes as well?" Karin asked. "I thought the original Karakura heroes consisted of me, and the two kids from the Urahara Shoten."

"Urahara gave us these outfits, along with Keigo and the fake Ichigo, and together we fought off hollows during the time Ichigo went to rescue Inoue-san," Tatsuki explained. "We were assisted by a guy wearing a masked and little girl with bat wings."

"Ah, those two must have been Don Kanonji and Ururu," Karin said. "So the two of you really were Karakura heroes. Then the four of us could reprise our roles on stage."

"Wait, we need another member of the group to make it complete," Chizuru said. "Orihime-chan, Michiru-chan, Ryo-san, do any of you want to become a Karakura hero?" Ryo and Michiru shook their heads, as the former wasn't interested whilst the latter was too afraid.

"Oh, oh, I so want to take part!" Orihime squealed excitedly. "Can be called something like Karakura Princess."

"We can discuss the names later, but you're on board Orihime-chan," Chizuru grinned. "Now we need several more people. Keigo has to be in it and another guy has to play Don Kanonji. Also, we might need a few people to play the villains." Just then, Keigo and Mizuiro entered the dormitory home room. Tatsuki spotted the chance and quickly grabbed both of them by the neck and dragged them over.

"What the heck are you doing Tatsuki?" Keigo asked.

"We've decided on a play that we're going to perform at the school festival and you're going to be in it," Tatsuki said to them.

"No way, I refuse to take part in a girly stunt like this!" Keigo protested vehemently.

"Oh, you don't want our help in setting up your own puny Shinigami boy's association?" Chizuru asked. Her offer tugged at Keigo and Mizuiro's heartstrings.

"Fine then, we'll help you with your girly act, as long as you pay us for the services," Keigo said. "Just tell us what you want Mizuiro and I be."

"You're going to reprise your role as Karakura Riser Delicate!!" Tatsuki exclaimed.

"What, what, what, you've got to be kidding me! I'm not going to wear that stupid costume again!!" Keigo screamed and ranted. But when he saw Chizuru mimic the counting of money, he had no choice but to give in.

"What do I become Chizuru-san?" Mizuiro asked.

"Since Don Kanonji is in the real world, you can be his replacement," Karin said. "Maybe a name such as Don Mizuiro would be good."

"Don Mizuiro huh, it has a nice ring to it," Mizuiro smiled. All that was left was for them to recruit a few others who could play the villains. Just as Chizuru was about to convince Ryo and Michiru to play the roles, Yuzu spotted Yuichi and his Shougi club friends nearby.

"Hey, why don't we ask Yuichi and his nakama to participate?" Yuzu asked.

"That might be a good idea," Tatsuki and Chizuru nodded. After some prodding from Yuzu and Karin, Yuichi and his friends were brought over and told the situation.

"So you want us to play the bad guys?" Yuichi asked. "But, I don't know how to act."

"It doesn't matter, none of us have acting talent either," Karin said.

"You could pretend to act like Paris did when he kidnapped Karin and me," Yuzu suggested. "I could be the damsel in distress that you kidnap whilst your mates can dress up as goons and pretend to fight the 'good guys'."

"I'm still not sure about the whole thing, but I'll give it my best shot," Yuichi said.

Over the next few days Karin, Tatsuki and Chizuru hastily came up with a script before getting the whole group of actors to rehearse it. During this time, they heard rumours about some of the other plays that were going to be performed.

"Hey everyone, I snuck a peak at the A wing dormitories and I saw a giant fake horse being built!" Michiru barged into the B wing's home room whilst the others were rehearsing their lines.

"Wow, a giant fake horse; that sounds so awesome!" Orihime exclaimed.

"Why would they need to build a fake horse?" Ryo asked.

"Who knows?" Tatsuki shrugged. "It might be an oversized prop they're going to use."

"We should make a few props ourselves," Chizuru suggested. "Obviously we can't fight for real or use our powers on the stage, so the next best thing would be to have special effects that mimic them."

"Leave the special effects to me," Karin offered. "I can ask my brother to have some special lighting and devices set up."

* * *

Prior to the opening of the school festival, the Academy teachers organised a special rehearsal session for the groups who were performing in order to allow them the chance to perform in front of a live audience without running the risk of screwing everything up. The venue for the rehearsal and the actual performances themselves was the Great Hall Spirits, which had been converted into a theatre stage. Nearly a thousand people packed into the hall to watch the rehearsal, slightly more than half the number of people who were going to see the real performances. Chizuru's group sat at the front of the wall, eagerly waiting their turn to perform.

The first few performances, mostly done by C and D wing students, were nothing much to speak about, but when Paris and the A wing students came onto the stage, everyone in the hall took notice.

"Hey, why is that Paris dressed in those weird clothes?" Orihime asked Tatsuki.

"Who knows?" Tatsuki shrugged her shoulders. Paris and his fellow actors were all wearing togas, and the backdrop behind the stage was a large mural painting of an ancient city. The education co-ordinator Minazawa stood up to introduce the play.

"And now the students from A wing have something special in store for us," Minazawa said. "It's a play called the Illiad and it's supposed to be a re-enactment of the Trojan Wars." Minazawa left the crowd to ponder what he meant. A short while after he sat down, a loud booming voice appeared out of nowhere.

"A long time ago, in ancient kingdom called Troy, there lived a dashing prince by the name of Paris," the voice, evidently the narrator, spoke out loud as the real life Paris stepped onto the stage, strutting about arrogantly.

"Paris was looking for a suitable woman to be his wife. He didn't like to search all over Greece, so instead he asked his magical mirror," the narrator explained.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" Paris the actor talked to a guy dressed up like an actual mirror.

"Oh your highness, the fairest woman of them all is the beautiful Helen of Sparta," the 'mirror guy' spoke back to Paris.

"Is that so? Then I shall take this Helen to be my wife." The curtain was lowered onto the stage a brief moment, before it rose again to reveal a change in scenery.

"Paris sailed across to Greece and met Helen of Sparta in secret," the narrator said. The audience saw the real Paris walk up to his real life sister Helena in a mock balcony window. "He spirited Helen, who had fallen in love with Paris, back to his home city of Troy. Unbeknownst to Paris, Helen was already married to King Menelaus of Sparta." There was another lowering of the curtain and a subsequent change in scenery. Now there were several mock paper boats on stage with a dozen or so actors pretending to row them.

"When Menelaus found out what happened, he gathered together a mighty host and was determined to lay waste to Troy and get back his wife. Tens of thousands of soldiers sailed across the seas and landed on the shores of Troy," the narrator spoke. The curtain was lowered again and when it rose back up, the ancient city backdrop was back, along with a large mock wall that split the stage in half. One side of the stage was Paris, Helena and a few other people. On the other side was Julius Bruticus, dressed up in a hulking suit of armour.

"The Greek soldiers lay siege to Troy, hoping to break through the walls," the narrator spoke. "But the siege soon turned into a long, gruelling struggle. The walls of Troy were impregnable, but the soldiers of Greece, led by the invincible Achilles, slaughtered any troops that Paris sent out to fight." On the stage, Bruticus went about bashing the several lackeys who came out of the 'wall' and charged him head on.

"But Achilles met his downfall when Paris' greatest general, Hector, shot an arrow at Achilles' left heel." The audience saw Bruticus' brother, brandishing a mock bow, shoot a paper arrow at Bruticius' ankle. Bruticus gave a pretend yell and fell onto his back. The curtain fell onto the stage again, and when it rose the entire crowd let out a collective gasp when a ten foot high wooden horse was wheeled onto the stage, pushed by half a dozen actors.

"With the fall of their champion, the Greeks were left without a means to breach Troy's walls. Then the cunning Ulysses thought of a most ingenious plan. He presented Paris with a marvellous wooden horse as a token of the Greeks' submission. Paris was so delighted with the gift that he ordered the horse be taken into the city," the narrator spoke. The audience watched as the actors pushed the fake horse to the other side of the stage.

"That night, the Greek soldiers, who had been hiding inside the horse, came out and massacred all of the Trojans. Hector died trying to protect his Prince. Paris himself was killed by a vengeful Menelaus, who stabbed him through the heart." As the narrator spoke those words, almost all of the girls in the audience cried out when they saw the real Paris get struck by a fake blade and fall onto his back.

"With Paris dead, Menelaus confronted his wife at last and ordered her to come back with him," the narrator said. On stage, one of Paris' friends, who was playing Menelaus, walked up to Helena, who gave out a realistic yell.

"How dare you murder Paris! I'd rather die than come back with you!" Helena exclaimed. She pretended to stab herself and collapsed onto the stage. The actor who was playing Menelaus faked his own stabbing and fell onto his side.

"With the death of Paris, Helen and Menelaus, the ten year long Trojan Wars came to an end," the narrator finished. As the dozen or so actors who had taken part in the play stood up and bowed to the audience, they received thunderous applause. Watching from behind the stage, Karin, Tatsuki and the others all looked nervous.

"Crap, I had no idea they had something this spectacular," Tatsuki said. "Our play will look pathetic compared to them."

"Don't worry, we've got a few surprises or so that will really shock everyone," Chizuru grinned. The teachers gave the signal for their play to begin. The first ones onto the stage were Ryo and Michiru. The two girls stood there as a dramatic orchestral track blurted out from the loud speakers. A second later, there was a burst of white and pink coloured smoke, which elicited gasps from the audience. The smoke dissipated to reveal Yuichi and his Shougi club mates. Yuichi was dressed in a white hakama and kimono, covered by a long flowing white overcoat. His normally red hair had been dyed a light brown and he was wearing thick red-rimmed glasses. His Shougi friends were dressed up all in black and wore strange masks on their faces, resembling a horse, a castle and a priest respectively.

"Ah ha, ha, ha, this town belongs to me!" Yuichi faked a menacing laugh.

"Oh no, it's the Chess master!" Ryo and Michiru squealed. "Only one team can save Karakura Town-we need the Karakura Superheroes!"

"Did someone call the Karakura Super heroes?" the voice of Mizuiro, attempting his best Don Kanonji expression sounded out through a microphone. In another spectacular entrance, Mizuiro jumped from under the stage and landed on his knees. He was wearing a black vest and pants covered by a flowing red cape. His eyes were covered by a white mask.

"Arise my Karakura heroes! Karakura Spirit has summoned you all!" Mizuiro croaked. In another big puff of smoke, Karin, Tatsuki, Orihime, Chizuru and Keigo appeared onto the stage. They were all dressed in normal casual clothes.

"Alright everyone, let's activate our special powers!" Karin shouted. She and the others pressed on the special watches they had been wearing. A pair of flashing lights on the side of the stage lit up and shown upon the group, before the curtain came down for a brief moment. The previous orchestral tune was replaced by a Japanese pop song. When the curtain came up again, the entire audience were utterly stunned when they saw that the people on stage had changed costumes. Karin was wearing a head-to-toes red spandex uniform with a red and white cape attached. Her head was covered by a goggled-visor helmet with a V-shaped symbol on it. A large K symbol was embossed on the front of the uniform.

"I am Karakura Riser Red!" Karin exclaimed. Tatsuki, Chizuru and Keigo were dressed in the same outfits that Urahara had given them several years ago, and proceeded to shout 'Karakura Riser' followed by Beast, Erotic and Delicate respectively. Orihime however was wearing a golden version of the dress she had worn during her captivity in Hueco Mundo, with the noticeable addition of a golden tiara on her head and a white K embossed on her waist.

"I am Karakura Riser Princess!" Orihime exclaimed.

"Together, we're the Karakura Superheroes!" the five of them shouted in unison.

"You goody to two shoes don't scare me. Let's see how you fare against my pawns," Yuichi tried his best imitation of a villainous snarl. "Knight, Rook, Bishop, go and get them!"

"Yes, master!" Yuichi's three friends nodded. They charged at the five heroes and proceeded to fire what appeared to be shining red lights from their hands. Though the lights were completely transparent, Karin and the others acted like they were real and split up to avoid them.

"Karakura Riser Beast, Erotic and Princess, finish off the underlings. Karakura Riser Delicate, take the civilians to safety!" Karin called out.

"Yes Karakura Riser Red!" Keigo exclaimed enthusiastically. He grabbed Ryo and Michiru one at a time and escorted them off the stage, running like a coward as he did so. "Take this, Karakura Riser Dragon Punch!" Tatsuki shouted. She punched the boy dressed up as the 'knight' in the stomach, causing him to fall onto his front. Chizuru was being chased by the boy dressed up as the 'rook'.

"Oh no, I can't fight at my best when I'm up against guys," Chizuru complained. "Oh well, I'll just have to do this, Karakura Riser Chastity Kick!" She kicked the boy in the crotch, causing him to shriek in pain and fall onto the ground.

"Now it's my turn! Let's go Karakura Riser Magical Rope!" Orihime shouted. She threw a piece of string around the boy dressed up as the 'bishop' and pulled it tightly, causing him to trip over and fall flat onto his face." With the three pawns all defeated, the five heroes confronted Yuichi, who was masquerading as the Chess master.

"It's over Chess master, we've defeated your pawns," Karin said.

"It's not over yet. I still have one final ace up my sleeve," Yuichi tried his best to grin. All of a sudden a man sized cage slowly lowered from the ceiling. Inside the cage was Yuzu, who was pretending to shout and scream and distress.

"Help me Karakura super heroes!" she pretended to cry.

"You fiend! Unhand her at once!" Karin yelled out.

"What will you do now? If you don't surrender the town, this precious hostage will die," Yuichi pretended to gloat.

"Don't worry, I'm here to save you!" Mizuiro appeared from the ceiling again. This time he was supported by a series of wires that made it look like he was flying. He opened the cage, freed Yuzu and carried her to safety.

"No, my plans for world domination are ruined!" Yuichi did his best wailing impression.

"It's finally over Chess master," Karin grinned. "Take this, Karakura Riser Orb of Justice!" She pulled out a soccer ball that had been painted all yellow and kicked it into Yuichi's face, knocking him onto his back. With the main story finished, the final part of the play saw everyone who had taken part appear on the stage again. To a psychedelic disco track, they all started to dance and party, before finishing with a spectacular series of bows.

At this point, nearly every single person in the crowd burst into raucous cheering and applause, complete with shouts of 'encore, encore!'. Only Paris and his cronies expressed disapproval, since they did not expect their performance to be upstaged in such a dramatic manner.

"Tch, you call that a play?" Paris asked. "It sounded like more like a cheesy musical to me." As the rehearsals for the festival plays concluded, the students of B wing returned to their home rooms exhausted but delighted at the reception they received.

"Ow, my nose still hurts," Yuichi said. "Could please not kick me so hard next time Karin?" Karin and Yuzu laughed.

"Okay I will you big chicken," Karin teased.

"Alright everyone, our first rehearsal was a big success!" Chizuru spoke out loud. "If we can repeat what we did today in front of the audience of captains and nobility, we're sure to become famous!"

* * *

Notes: Again I'd like to apologise for the delay in between chapters, as I was mainly focusing on the New Order. This chapter underwent many revisions, and to be honest I'm surprised it ended being a comedy chapter which parodies one of the funniest filler elements of Bleach: the Karakura Superheroes. I was originally going to write a chapter about the Academy festival itself and the coinciding visit by the Royal Family, but I figured it would be better to show that in the upcoming New Order and have this chapter focus more on the class of B1.

With the two main plays, I wanted to not only draw the comparison between the two main dormitories but also do two parody scenes. The Paris-centric play is obviously based on the Illiad, but I took a few liberties with the plot, such as the magic mirror at the beginning. The Karakura Superheroes were mostly based on the designs that were featured in the anime. Tatsuki, Chizuru and Keigo have the exact same outfits as they did in Episode 213+214. Karin's outfit is similar to the one Kon wore as Karakura Raizer. Mizuiro's outfit resembles Don Kanonji's. With Orihime's outfit, I decided to use her Hueco Mundo dress, as I liked the design very much, and only changed the colours. Yuichi's Chess master look was meant to resemble Aizen's appearance when he invaded Fake Karakura Town, with the added glasses that SS Aizen once wore.

The two performances will be shown again in New Order Chapter 11, albeit not in as detailed a fashion as they were here.


	5. Chapter 5: Third Year Tokyo Campus

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: When the headmaster Kurosaki Ichigo announced a school festival to coincide with the visit of the Royal family, the students of the Shinigami Academy were electrified into action. With the prospect of performing in front of a large audience of VIPs, many of the students in all four dormitories come up with their own plays. Determined not to be oudone by the Paris-helmed Trojan War tragedy, The Shinigami Women's Association, led by Chizuru form an alliance with Karin, Yuzu, Shibat Yuichi, and three of Yuichi's Shougi club friends. Together, the group of B1 students stage a spectacular play about the Karakura Superheroes. With Karin, Orihime, Tatsuki, Chizuru and Keigo playing the heroes, Yuichi and his Shougi club friends playing the villains and Yuzu being the innocent hostage, the play becomes an instant success, winning ovations from their fellow students and the teachers...

* * *

Chapter 5: Third Year Tokyo Campus

The class of B1 did become famous. Their performance at the School festival was watched by none other than the Academy Headmaster Kurosaki Ichigo and the Sun Princess Amaterasu. Both gave their play, "The Karakura Superheroes", rave reviews. What was more, the reception from their peers made the students who took part in the play, Karin, Yuzu, Orihime, Tatsuki, Yuichi, Keigo, Mizuiro, the Shinigami Women's Association and the Shougi club, the most popular students in the Academy. This naturally attracted the enmity of the students of Class A1, who, led by Laodemon Paris, sought victory against the B1 class at every turn.

The second year at the Shinigami Academy proved to be uneventful for Karin, Yuichi and their friends. Major events that occurred in the first year, such as the coinciding Soul Society elections, the visit by the Royal family, and the school festival were noticeably absent. With the exception of a bitterly contested school council election that saw the Shinigami Women's Association and the expanded Shougi club win the majority of seats, the school year passed by without much fanfare.

The beginning of the third year however, proved to be a drastic change. As Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi, Orihime and Tatsuki arrived at the front of the Academy school grounds, they found their way blocked by a crowd of about a thousand fresh academy recruits.

"Would you look at this, there's a whole host of newbie students here," Karin said.

"How are we meant to find out what subjects we have if we can't even enter the Academy grounds?" Tatsuki said. As the group of five were trying to figure out how to get in, they were suddenly approached by Chizuru, Michiru and Ryo.

"What are you guys doing here?" Chizuru asked. "Didn't you get the message that the headmaster sent out to all third year students? We're to grab as many personal belongings as we can carry and head to the main Seireimon."

"The main Seireimon, why do we need to go there?" Orihime asked.

"Apparently third years will no longer stay in the Academy," Ryo replied. "Instead we have to spend a whole year in Tokyo city." Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi, Orihime and Tatsuki were all shocked at the news.

"A whole year in Tokyo city?" Karin asked. "I like the idea of it, but I don't see how we'll be able to continue our education."

"I heard from someone that the Deputy Headmaster of the Academy, Kuchiki Rukia, will explain everything once the entire year of students have gathered at the Seireimon," Michiru said.

"Then I guess we have no choice but to head there," Yuzu sighed.

"Only after we get all of our possessions ready right?" Yuichi asked. Chizuru, Michiru and Ryo all nodded. The group of friends from B1 went back to their dormitories and hastily packed up their clothes, books and other belongings into large backpacks. An hour later, everyone met up again at the main Seireimon in Seireitei, where a crowd of nearly a thousand third year Academy students had already gathered. Standing near the rear of the crowd, Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi and the others could barely make out the person standing on a floating platform directly in front of the Seireimon.

"Hey, isn't that Kuchiki-san?" Orihime could barely make out the figure of a woman. The others peered hard to look and though it was hard to tell, Karin and Yuzu did recognise her.

"You're right, it is Onii-san," Yuzu said. "It's the first time we've seen her outside in the public like this since she gave birth to twins."

"I had no idea she was the Deputy Headmaster," Tatsuki said. "Did any of you know?"

"Yuzu and I were well aware of it," Karin said, "Rukia-san told me two months ago that she was planning on taking a more active role in the management of the Academy.

Their brief discussion was interrupted when Rukia's voice suddenly appeared in the heads of every single student, after several fifth division Shinigami cast multiple Tentei Kura spells.

"Listen up, everyone!" Rukia exclaimed. "It's hard to speak to all one thousand students using Tentei Kura so I'll be as brief as possible. As a many of you may have noticed, the Shinigami Academy has received a new intake of one thousand prospective students. Because the academy buildings can only handle one thousand students, the headmaster and I have decided to do something special with you third year students. In the first two years of your education most of you should have gotten a decent grasp on the history of Soul Society, what it means to be a Shinigami, and the four basic styles of Shinigami combat. It is time then for the skills you have learnt during the first two years to be put to the test. Even now, as I am speaking, officials from the first division's Department of Defence are going around and handing every student a plain asauchi. This asauchi is the permanent weapon that each of you must keep and maintain. With time and practice it will manifest as an individual Zanpakuto."

At this moment, Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi and the others all received their own asauchis. The asauchis were bundled with a plain scabbard that could be customised. Before they could admire their own individual swords any further, Rukia continued to speak.

"I shall now explain what will happen once you all cross the Seireimon and arrive at Tokyo City. In conjunction with the second, eighth and thirteen divisions, the Academy has set up a thirty kilometre wide Spatial Stasis dome around central Tokyo. The area within will function as your training grounds for the whole year. Each of you will be assigned an apartment located in one of four quadrants, depending on your dormitory wings, and a gigai. This gigai will allow you to blend in with ordinary humans whilst living in the city. During the school year, you will all be assigned regular patrol duties in designated sectors of the city, and on these patrols you will be tasked with performing Konso on wandering plus souls and taking down low-level hollows. I have one final word to say to all of you: May you have the best of luck in the year ahead."

With that the Tentei Kura transmission was finished. As Rukia got down from the platform, the Seireimon gate opened. Dozens of Academy teacher guided groups of about fifty students through the gate. When Inari Kasumi, the long time teacher of Class B1, walked up to her students, Karin and the others took a deep breath before stepping through the gate.

They found themselves and hundreds of other students walking through the Dangai, the precipice dimension between worlds. Fortunately for the students, they were walking through an official Soul Society passage, guided by the hell butterflies. In about twenty minutes, the B1 class exited the Dangai. They found themselves in the middle of Tokyo city. For Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki and Chizuru's group, the location they were in was instantly familiar.

Looming almost directly above the thousand academy students was the iconic Tokyo Tower, a gigantic red and white lattice structure that soared hundreds of metres in the air.

"Looks like we're in Minato-ku," Karin said to Yuzu, who nodded. The two of them, and everyone else, sensed the presence of the spatial barrier.

"I guess we're going to be living in one of the four wards of central Tokyo," Tatsuki said.

"Wow, I never knew Tokyo was this big and bustling," Orihime said. She alone had never lived in Tokyo before. Yuichi, however, looked at the buildings around him, and recalled fond memories of Tokyo when he was alive.

"Okay class, we've been assigned to patrol Shinjuku-ku," Kasumi sensei said. "It's about three kilometres from here to the centre of that district so unfortunately we're going to have do a bit of running." The fifty students of class B1 followed Kasumi northeast to Shinjuku-ku, with most of them Shunpo-ing along the way. By the time they got to the central business district of Shinjuku, everyone was already puffed out. Kasumi stopped and turned around to face them.

"Now, as I call out your names, come up to me to get a key card with your residential address, along with a portable gigai, a Gikongan, and a soul pager" Kasumi said. One by one, the students received the keys to their apartments, their gigais and soul candies and finally their individual phones. When Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi received their key cards, they were surprised to find that they all had the same address.

"Gosh, we're going to be living with each other," Yuichi blushed.

"He, he, what's there to be embarrassed about," Karin grinned. Orihime and Tatsuki also ended up with fairly close addresses, being separated by only one block.

"This is great, we'll be next door neighbours Tatsuki-san," Orihime giggled. Once the entire class had received their items, Kasumi-sensei dismissed her students, allowing them to head off to their apartments. Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi Shunpo-ed off to their apartment, a kilometre or so to the east of central Shinjuku. They passed through the slightly seedy Kabuchi-ko district before arriving at front entrance of their apartment block. The three of them walked up two flights of stairs before they found their apartment. Karin unlocked the front door with her key card and entered. The apartment turned out to be quite spacious, with three single bedrooms, a small kitchen and dining room area, a lounge room and a bathroom and toilet.

"This place brings back memories of our old house in Karakura Cho doesn't it Karin-chan?" Yuzu asked.

"It sure does," Karin agreed. "It's been ages since we've lived in a small house like this." Yuichi walked over to the balcony directly in front of the lounge and looked out onto the street below. It was then that something flashed in his mind. Images of his mother, screaming for help as a brutal man stabbed her multiple times. Images of him, as a helpless child, cowering in fear. And finally images of him, awakened by his mother's death, grabbing the killer and hurling him with an unknown strength over the balcony. The recollection of images was almost too much to bear for Yuichi, who collapsed onto his behind and started sweating profusely.

"What's wrong Yuichi-kun? Your entire body's all hot and sweating!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"Are you suffering from a fever?" Karin asked as she and Yuzu helped Yuichi over to the couch and sat him down. As Yuzu went to get some water, Karin sat beside him.

"It's a not a fever I'm suffering from," Yuichi said. "I just got a psychological shock from recalling some painful memories. If I'm not mistaken, this is the apartment where I grew up in." Karin and Yuzu were stunned by his revelation.

"About eight years ago, my mother and I lived here. My dad had left us a few years before that and I was only six at the time, so mum had to work hard to support me," Yuichi said. "It was a long way from her work to our house and tragically for mum, she ended up encountering a serial killer on her way back one day. He chased her to the balcony and stabbed her multiple times. Even as she was dying, my mum pleaded for me to run away. I couldn't bear to leave her like this, and just as the killer was going to kill me, I grabbed his legs and heaved him over the balcony. The next thing I knew the killer had landed on the ground below with a splat. Of course, my nightmare was only just beginning. Three years after my mum died, the killer came back as a hollow. He ripped my soul from my body and stuck it into my pet parakeet. He then forced me to play his game, after promising to me that he could bring my mother back. It was a lie of course, but I totally believed it at the time, and it was because of Captain Kurosaki and a friendly man called Chad that I was rescued."

Both Karin and Yuzu had heard a portion of Yuichi's story from Ichigo, but hearing it from Yuichi himself was almost too much to handle. Both of them broke down in tears and stabbed sobbing. Yuichi however, steeled his emotions and stopped himself from crying. He had long ago got over the trauma of his mother's death.

* * *

In a different part of Shinjuku, Orihime and Tatsuki arrived at the front entrance of their apartment block. Though their key cards had different addresses, both of their apartments were in the same building, and as the two of them walked up the stairs, they discovered that the apartments were on the same floor.

"This is great. Our apartments are right beside each other," Orihime said.

"Perhaps the teachers deliberately arranged it that way," Tatsuki thought.

"I think it's just a wonderful coincidence," Orihime giggled. Tatsuki's line of thought wasn't far off though, for when the two girls used their key cards to open the front doors, they gasped in astonishment when they saw that there was a person inside each of their apartments. What was more; both of these people were instantly recognisable to Orihime and Tatsuki.

"Uryu! Chad!" Orihime and Tatsuki shouted at the same time. "What are you doing here?" Ishida and Chad got up and walked to the front door, grinning as they did so.

"If you want to know why we're here, blame it on Kurosaki," Ishida said. "Chad and I bought these two apartments roughly a year ago and we've been living here on a part-time basis. Kurosaki just happened to select our apartments for you and Tatsuki to stay in, Inoue-san."

"Perhaps Ichigo thought you girls might be lonely by yourselves, or maybe he was worried about your safety," Chad said. "Regardless of the reason, Uryu and I are glad to see the two of you again."

"Well, what do you think Orihime?" Tatsuki said. "How about you stay with Ishida-san and I stay with Sado-san?"

"Um, that's fine with me," Orihime said in a soft voice. "Ishida-kun is the one of the few people I would like to live with." Orihime's words caused Ishida to blush.

"Gosh, I didn't know you had such feelings for me, Inoue-san," he said.

"I thought Orihime used to have a crush on Ichigo," Chad added.

"Not anymore," Tatsuki said. "After Ichigo married Rukia, Orihime told me secretly that she had given up her feelings towards him, when she saw how much Ichigo and Rukia really loved each other." Ishida and Chad understood what Tatsuki was implying.

"What about you Tatsuki? What made you want to live with Chad?" Ishida asked.

"I don't know," Tatsuki shrugged. "To be honest, until Karakura Cho was destroyed, I never thought about going out with a guy before. But those four years of loneliness in Tokyo city, and then my subsequent death and time in Soul Society made me think about finding someone to share my heart with." Chad didn't know what to think of Tatsuki's confession, but both Ishida and Orihime suspected he would have voiced similar thoughts given what the trauma that he's been through.

"Well, I guess we should both go inside," Orihime said. "I'm dying to check out my, I mean, our apartment, Ishida-kun." Orihime and Ishida went inside their apartment, and Tatsuki and Chad went inside theirs. Both apartments were roughly similar in design, with two bedrooms a kitchen and dining area, a lounge room, a bathroom and a toilet.

"Do you like this apartment, Inoue?" Ishida asked.

"I love it! It's so warm and cosy!" Orihime giggled.

"I plan on buying a much bigger apartment in the future, but for now it's more than adequate," Ishida said. He showed Orihime around the place and helped her unpack her belongings. Orihime took the opportunity to get into her gigai, finding it slightly uncomfortable. When they were finished, the two of them met up with Tatsuki and Chad, who had finished unpacking at the same time. The four of them decided to go head out for dinner.

"Do you recall any of the eateries around here, Tatsuki?" Ishida asked.

"As a matter of fact I do," Tatsuki nodded. "There's a good ramen restaurant just down the road. What do you think Chad?"

"Sounds like a good place," Chad nodded.

"What, which restaurant are we going to?" Orihime asked. Unlike the others, she never had opportunity to live in Tokyo city. Nonetheless, it didn't stop her from taking in the sights and sounds of Shinjuku-ku.

* * *

The next morning, the thousand or so Academy students were woken up by another mass Tentei Kura spell.

"All students are to report to the Tokyo Tower assembly are within an hour," an unknown female voice sounded through the spell. As soon as Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi heard the summons, they quickly devoured their soul candies and ordered the mod souls to guard their apartment. Orihime and Tatsuki left their gigais in the care of Ishida and Chad.

Within the hour, all of the students arrived at the base of the Tokyo Tower, where deputy headmaster Kuchiki Rukia and the three co-ordinators of education, Minazawa, Mariko and Tanaka, stood on elevated platforms overlooking the crowd.

"I'll be very brief with my announcement this time," Rukia said through the Tentei Kura. "Today the individual class teachers are going to demonstrate how to do Konso on the two hundred plus souls that we've managed to gather in this vicinity. Pay close attention to how to perform Konso, for you won't have a chance to practice it until you encounter plus souls during the patrol duties."

The Tentei Kura spell ended and almost at once the class teachers ordered their students to huddle in a circle around them. With a hapless plus soul tightly bound to the ground, the class of B1 watched on as Inari Kasumi placed the guard end of her Zanpakuto and pressed it against the plus soul's forehead. The seal at the bottom of the guard imprinted onto the soul's body. A few seconds later a spirit circle surrounded the plus soul. Then to the astonishment of many students, the plus soul literally sunk into the ground and disappeared from sight.

"And that is how you perform a Konso," Kasumi said to her students. "Tonight all of you will start your patrol duties. Since the area inside the spatial dome is a Jureichi, there should be plenty of plus souls around. If you need help on performing Konso or encounter any dangerous hollows, please contact me or the other teachers using your soul pagers." With that, the demonstration finished and all of the students were allowed to return to their apartments.

When Karin, Yuzu, and Yuichi came home they entered their gigais again and decided to head out for lunch. They ended up choosing a sushi takeaway store that also sold takoyaki.

"Hey Karin-chan, if we're supposed to start our patrol duties tonight, then shouldn't the teachers tell us which parts of the city we're meant to patrol?" Yuzu asked.

"I think they're going to send those instructions to our soul pagers," Karin said. She was proven correct when, at quarter to six in the afternoon, all three of their pagers beeped whilst they were watching television.

"It appears we've all been assigned to cover the same circular area around this apartment, only on different rotations," Yuichi said.

"How about we take it in turns and do a patrol for three hours during the night and then report back?" Yuzu asked.

"Sounds fine with me, but for this night we'd better all go together and see if we can find plus souls to perform Konso on," Karin said. At around ten to seven, Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi left their gigais and headed out of their apartment. Within a minute or so they spotted the first signs of spiritual activity: three hapless souls running from a hungry hollow. Seizing on the chance to do Konso and practice their combat skills, the trio swooped in. Yuzu fired a Hadou 31 spell at the hollow, blasting it away from the souls. Karin quickly Shunpo-ed in front of the hollow and kicked it in the skull, sending it flying towards the direction of Yuichi, who cleaved it in half with his sword.

"Alright, our first hollow kill!" the three of them celebrated. They then proceeded to perform Konso on the plus souls, managed to stamp the seals on the foreheads perfectly.

"This doesn't seem so hard after all," Yuichi said. Karin and Yuzu agreed.

"We'll only encounter trouble if we bump into hollows by ourselves," Yuzu said.

"If that ever happens, each of us should send a message for help," Karin said.

For the next two weeks, the three of them rotated their patrol shifts through the night without encountering any difficulties. A few hollows did show up but they were easy enough for Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi to dispatch by themselves. However, one event would soon change everything...

* * *

On a cold Sunday night, Yuichi was out patrolling the streets close to the Kabuchi-ko district. He encountered a few plus souls along the way and managed to send them all to the Soul Society. He looked at this soul pager and saw that there was around half an hour or so left before his shift ended. _I'd better head back_, he thought. As he Shunpo-ed through the roof stops, he suddenly sensed an abnormal reiatsu heading straight for him. Only the quick reflexes he had honed from years of Zanjutsu practice saved his head from being slashed by a claw. He fell from the sky and barely managed to land on his feet.

"What the hell was that?" he said to himself. He looked up and saw something that frightened him. A monstrous bat-like hollow, nearly twice the size of a regular human, hovered in the air. It had a pair of razor sharp teeth hanging from the jaws of its mask and evil red eyes.

"WE MEET AT LAST, LITTLE BOY," the hollow croaked in a loud, menacing voice.

"Who, who are you?" Yuichi asked. His body started trembling. Unlike the weak hollows he, Karin and Yuzu had encountered for, this hollow exuded a substantial amount of spiritual pressure.

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM? THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE," the hollow cackled. "YOU'VE NEVER MET ME BEFORE, BUT I AM SURE YOU HAVE MET MY BROTHER, SHRIEKER." As soon as the hollow mentioned the name, Yuichi instantly recalled images of the hollow that had sucked his soul out and placed it in a parakeet.

"You're...his brother?" Yuichi stuttered.

"YES, I AM HIS BROTHER, HOWLER AND I HAVE COME TO DO WHAT HE FAILED TO DO: DEVOUR YOUR SOUL!!" the hollow laughed evilly. With its great flapping wings, it swooped down at Yuichi, mouth wide open. Yuichi raised his sword and slashed at it, but the hollow was fast enough to avoid his attack. It flew up the air again and swooped down at Yuichi from another angle. In a quick reflex action, Yuichi turned around and fired a Byakurai spell at it. To his dismay, the hollow blocked the pale blue lightning with its wings.

"THAT KIDOU SPELL WAS WEAK, SHINIGAMI," the hollow laughed. "YOU'RE NOTHING BUT FODDER!!" It flew at Yuichi again, and as Yuichi tried to swing his sword it smashed him against the wall of a building with its wings. Yuichi struggled to get up on his feet, and there was now a large swelling on his forehead. _I don't stand a chance against this thing_, he thought to himself. His first instinct was to run, but knowing that the hollow could fly, he doubted his ability to flee from it fast enough. He then thought about hiding from it and calling Karin and Yuzu.

"Alright then, take this, hollow!" Yuichi exclaimed. "Hadou four, Byakurai!" He fired another white lightning spell at the hollow again and then hastily retreated down an alley way and into another street. Then, leaning against a large dumpster, he pulled out his soul pager and hastily sent a text message to Karin and Yuzu. _If they don't come soon, I'm in big trouble_, Yuichi thought. With no time for a long message, he made his words and simplistic as possible and sent it through.

"YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME, SHINIGAMI!!" Howler shouted. All of a sudden the dumpster track that Yuichi had been leaning against was blown away, and Yuichi was backed against the wall with no feasible means of escape. Dropping his soul pager on the ground, Yuichi gripped his sword tightly with both hands and jumped up at the hollow. He slashed at the hollow's right wing and managed to dig his blade several inches into its skin. But the cut wasn't deep enough to slice through the wing and with sword now stuck, Yuichi was defenceless.

"THAT WAS A VALIANT EFFORT, BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!" Howler yelled. It swooped downwards and pushed Yuichi into the wall of another building. Yuichi tried break free, but the weight of the hollow pushed his sword even further in.

"NOW, I'M GOING TO DEVOUR YOU SLOWLY, BUT BEFORE I DO, I WANT TO TASTE YOUR BLOOD!!" Howler cackled. Before Yuichi could react, the hollow bared its fangs and bit him hard on the left shoulder. Yuichi screamed in pain as the hollow's fangs dug deep into his skin. Furthermore, he felt something else apart from pain; from the moment the fangs went in, a strange substance began entering his blood stream, paralysing his body. It was nearly too much to bear for Yuichi, and soon he started to lose consciousness.

_Am I going to die?_ He thought to himself. _No! I can't die like this! I promised Captain Kurosaki that I would become a strong Shinigami so that I can protect Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan, and there's no way I'm going to break it!_ Realizing that his arms were still free, he began charging Reiyoku in his hands and placed them firmly against Howler's chest.

"Great Sovereign! Mask of Blood and Flesh, All Things of Creation, Flutter of Wings, The one who bears the name of Man, Inferno and Pandemonium, the Sea Barrier Surges, March to the South! Hadou 31, Shakkaho!" Yuichi yelled out. He blast foot wide hole through the hollow's chest with the red ball of energy, causing it to loosen its fangs. Then with the last of his strength, Yuichi ripped his sword from its wings.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME!!" Howler shrieked. "I'LL COME BACK, OH YES AND NEXT TIME I'LL EAT YOU FOR GOOD!!" With blood streaming from its chest, the hollow flew away. With the substance spreading through his body, Yuichi fell to the ground and quickly lost consciousness.

* * *

Notes: Yes, as the chapter title indicates, Shinigami Academy has undergone a time skip. It was neccessary not just from a story point of view but also from a pure writing perspective. In a way the first four chapters were just a companion to The New Order and now that the latter has finished, the real plot of the former can truly begin. It's not just a time shift either, but a shift in location as well. Moving the entire cast to Tokyo city will allow for some much needed character development, but also set the stage for some real battles.

Keen readers may note the references to Volume 2 of the Bleach manga, especially the house that Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi are staying in, and the name of the hollow in this chapter. Shippers will also be pleased to note that I've made Ishihime and TatsuChad a reality.

Finally, for the people who are worried about Yuichi's fate at the end of this chapter, rest assured that he'll survive. But something big is going to happen to him.


	6. Chapter 6: The Caged Bird

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: Two years have passed since Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi, Orihime, Tatsukia and the former Karakura people began their life at the Shinigami Academy. At the beginning of the third year, the deputy headmaster, Kuchiki Rukia, annouces something that radically changes everyone's lives. With a new influx of students coming in, the third year students are ordered to relocate to Tokyo City. They will spend a year living under the immense spatial dome that covers the whole of inner Tokyo. During this year they will learn how to perform Konso and hunt down low level hollows during regular patrols of their neighbourhood. On one such patrol, Shibata Yuichi encounters a formidable hollow by the name of Howler. Already overmatched, Yuichi is brought to the brink of defeat when he learns that Howler is the brother of Shrieker, the hollow who killed his mother and sucked his soul into a parakeet. Using all of his strength, Yuichi manages to inflict a lethal wound on Howler, but at a high cost: Howler's poisonous fangs injected a virulent substance that has initiated a hollowfication process within Yuichi's body...

* * *

Chapter 6: The Caged Bird

"How's he doing?" a distressed Karin asked her older brother Ichigo. She had found Yuichi lying on the street, unconscious and without a spirit pulse, ten minutes after she and Yuzu had received a distress message on their soul pagers. They tried calling for help and fortunately their sister-in-law Rukia happened to be on duty. She helped the sisters carry Yuichi over to her house and after laying him on the bed, Rukia contacted Ichigo and the fourth division. Ichigo arrived half an hour later, accompanied by Lieutenant Hachigen, who quickly administered emergency medical treatment.

"He's in a coma right now, but his wounds have been treated," Ichigo said. "What's more worrying now is the rapidly spreading hollow virus that is infecting his internal spirit body."

"Does that mean he's turning into a hollow?" Yuzu asked in fright. Ichigo and Rukia said nothing, but their faces gave Karin and Yuzu their answer.

At this moment, Yuichi was lost in a haze of memories. Images of his mother flashed before his eyes, followed by the demonic visage of the hollow Shrieker.

"Mother, mother, where are you?" Yuichi asked. "And where am I? Help me mother! I feel so lonely!" He ran down an endless pathway, towards what appeared to be a light. But when he broke through the light he found to his horror that he was back inside the body of a parakeet, trapped inside a cage.

"YOUR MOTHER IS GONE LITTLE BOY, BUT I CAN BRING HER BACK," Shrieker's horrible voice taunted him. "ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO RUN FROM ME. RUN FROM ME FOR THREE MONTHS AND I SHALL REVIVE YOUR MOTHER FROM THE DEAD."

"No, that's a lie. My mother is dead! She can never be brought back!" Yuichi screamed.

"OH REALLY? THEN WHO DO WE HAVE HERE?" Shrieker waved its hands and suddenly a grotesque, disfigured form of Yuichi's mother appeared before him.

"Hello Yuichi-kun. It's nice to see you again. Do you want to join me? Here, take my hand," Yuichi's mother spoke to him in a demonic voice. When Yuichi felt her hand, a strange substance immediately started to consume his body.

"Mother, what is happening to me? Mother!!" Yuichi screamed in horror as he was completely overwhelmed...

"NO!!!" Yuichi shouted. It took him ten seconds to realize he had been trapped in a horrible nightmare. It took ten more seconds to notice that he wasn't in his room.

"Yuichi-kun, you're awake at last!!" Karin and Yuzu exclaimed.

"Karin-san, Yuzu-san, where am I?" Yuichi asked.

"You're currently in the apartment Ichigo and I used to live in," the deputy headmaster, Kuchiki Rukia appeared from behind a corridor.

"What happened to me?" Yuichi asked. He rubbed his left shoulder and all of a sudden felt a surge a pain through his back.

"Don't push yourself!" Rukia yelled out. "You haven't fully recovered yet. It was a stroke of luck that Karin and Yuzu here found you so early and contacted me. The wounds that you received were quite severe?"

"Wounds?" Yuichi was confused. Then he remembered. "Oh right, I was bitten by that hollow..." at this moment he felt another surge of pain through his body, but this time it came from his insides. He could feel the pain spreading, attacking his heart and lungs, and closing in on his soul link and booster.

"This is bad..."Rukia said. "Ichigo, Hachi, come here quick!" A brief moment later Ichigo and Hachigen appeared in the room. Hachigen laid Yuichi flat on his back again and examined his internal body.

"It's as I feared," Hachigen sighed. "The pace of the hollowfication is quickening."

"Is there any means to reverse the flow and remove the hollow substance?" Ichigo asked.

"I only know of one person who can perform such an act, and that person is the Sun Princess Amaterasu," Hachigen said. "My powers of rejection are nothing compared to hers."

"There's no way Amaterasu could descend to the real world again," Rukia said.

"If the Hogyoku still existed, we could have used it to break down the barriers and stabilize the hollowfication," Hachigen said.

"Well, I made sure the Hogyoku was destroyed when I killed Aizen," Ichigo sighed. The three of them glanced down at Yuichi, who was now terrified at what was happening to him.

"Uh, Headmaster, what is happening to my body? I can feel a strange substance attacking my organs!" Yuichi cried out. Ichigo looked at Rukia and Hachigen and then closed his eyes in contemplation.

"I wish I could break it to you gently, Shibata Yuichi, but it would be easier if you knew the truth," Ichigo said in an emotionless voice. "You were infected by a virus that was injected into your bloodstream. This virus somehow induced your body to undergo a hollowfication process. If nothing is done soon then eventually you turn into a hollow." As soon as he head Ichigo's words, Yuichi's heart almost froze in shock. Sweat flowed down the side of his neck as his entire body started to tremble.

"This can't be...so I'm going to become a hollow and there's nothing that can be done to prevent it?" Yuichi asked in despair.

"There is one way to prevent a complete hollowfication," Ichigo stated. "A slim chance, but given that there aren't any alternatives it is the only choice we have."

"No, don't tell you you're going to make him go through what you and I went through!" Hachigen protested after realizing what Ichigo was going to do.

"What other alternative do we have?" Rukia asked. "We either let him become a hollow or we give him the best chance he has of controlling it." Ichigo, Rukia and Hachigen stared at Yuichi again.

"Yuichi-kun, are you willing to put your life on the line?" Ichigo asked.

"Seeing as I'm going to die if I don't do anything, I have no choice do I?" Yuichi answered.

"Then listen carefully. You're going to undergo an extremely risky process. I shall forcibly send you into your inner spirit world and from then on you must fight the inner hollow that has grown inside of you. Should you defeat him and win control of your inner world, the hollowfication will be halted and you will end up becoming a Vizard, a Shinigami who has access to hollow powers, just like me and Hachigen. If you are defeated then you will become a hollow and we will have no choice but to kill you. Are you ready?"

With an enthusiasm that surprised even Ichigo, Yuichi agreed to go through with it. With a deep sigh, Ichigo placed his hand on Yuichi's forehead. A second later Yuichi was knocked unconscious.

"Where are you taking him?" Karin and Yuzu asked as they watched their brother hoist Yuichi on his shoulders.

"To the secret underground training room," Ichigo replied. "The two of you must wait up here and guard the apartment. Do not, and I repeat, do not try to follow us."

"We understand, Onii-san," Karin and Yuzu nodded. Ichigo, Rukia and Hachigen walked down a secret flight of stairs until they reached an enormous hidden basement area that Ichigo had requested the seventh division to build during the construction of the spatial dome around Tokyo city. Yuichi was placed on his front in the centre of the room. His sword was conveniently placed beside his body.

"Hachi, bind Yuichi with Gochu Tekkan and surround him with a double-sided barrier," Ichigo ordered. Hachigen nodded and clasped his hands together.

"Wall of iron sand, tower formed from hate, forge iron and neatly finish in silence, Bakudo 75, Gochu Tekkan!" Hachigen slammed his fists into the ground. A second later, five giant metal rods linked by a chain materialized and pressed down on Yuichi's body. Hachigen then summoned his impenetrable yellow barrier to cover a fifty metre square radius around Yuichi. When that was finished, he, Ichigo and Rukia watched and waited for the hollowfication process to begin.

Yuichi awakened in a strange place. All that he could see were floating clouds everywhere. The clouds were so thick that he couldn't see the bottom. He got up and walked around the clouds. After a brief while he stumbled upon a gigantic yellow cage, dozens of metres high. When Yuichi walked up to the cage he could see there was something inside: a large black crow that was roughly the same size at him. What was most unusual about this crow was that it had three legs, with the third, deformed leg protruding near its tail. As he inspected the crow closer up he noticed that it was severely wounded, with blood flowing from its feathers.

"Hello, can you hear me?" Yuichi called out. "Can you tell me your name?"

"He won't listen to you," a voice similar to his own sounded. Yuichi turned around and gasped in shock. Standing in front of him was someone who looked exactly like him. The only difference was that he had yellow pupils surrounded by a black retina. His hair was a pale red in colour and he had markings on his face. Yuichi realized that this must be his inner hollow.

"What do you mean the bird won't listen to me?" Yuichi asked his hollow.

"That bird only responds to its master," his hollow replied. "Right now it doesn't have one. Do you know what the bird represents? It's a representation of your Konpaku!" Yuichi was shocked by his hollow's statement.

"That bird represents my soul?" Yuichi asked in confusion.

"Yes, whoever controls the bird has control of your soul!" the hollow cackled. "I've had the benefit of a head start. I've been torturing the bird to make it submit to my will, and am I close to doing so. Once I have it under my control your soul will be mine!!"

"So that's why the bird is in such a decrepit state," Yuichi gnashed his teeth in anger. "I won't let you take control of my soul and I'll make you pay for everything you have done to that bird!" Charging his Reiyoku into a blade, Yuichi charged at his hollow self. The hollow simply grinned and summoned a blade of its own and blocked Yuichi's attack.

"Heh, you're so naive. If you really want me to stop, you'll have to kill me, and that is something you'll never do!" The inner hollow blew Yuichi away with its reiatsu.

"We'll see about that!" Yuichi yelled back. He gripped his blade with both hands and charged at his inner hollow. The two combatants locked swords for a few seconds, before beginning a furious aerial clash around the golden cage.

At this moment, the inert body of Yuichi suddenly awakened. His eyes turned black and yellow and a hollow mask started to form around his face. His fingers turned into sharp claws that dug into the ground and with sheer physical strength, he began to lift the five pillars off his back. A hollow also began to form around his chest. Ichigo and Rukia saw what has happening and knew that it was time.

"Hachi, let me inside. I'll be the first to deal with him," Ichigo said. Hachigen allowed Ichigo to enter the stasis barrier. The hollowfied Yuichi succeeded in toppling the pillars. Then, after picking up the sword, it charged at Ichigo. Ichigo blocked its attack with his sword and was surprised at how strong the blow was.

"You're really something special, Yuichi-kun," Ichigo smiled.

Inside Yuichi's mind, the hollow Yuichi had succeeded in impaling Yuichi in the stomach with its sword. Blood trickled out of the wound and Yuichi coughed up more blood.

"You're pathetic, Yuichi, you can't even defend yourself against a simple blow like this," his inner hollow taunted him. "You don't have the strength of will to control your soul. Where's your fighting instinct? Does it only emerge when you have the urge to protect someone you love? It's not much use then if you can't summon it at will!" Yuichi grimaced as the sword was slowly wrenched out his body. Blood spilt from his wound, dying the clouds amber red. He glanced at the bird and noticed its condition was worsening. Blood was flowing down its torso, from exactly the same spot his wound was.

"I bet you've noticed haven't you?" Yuichi's inner hollow grinned. "Every moment that passes your Zanpakuto, the representation of your soul, gets weaker whilst I get stronger. Soon enough the bird will die and I shall have full mastery of this realm. You're not worthy of being the king anymore. I shall kill and take the throne." The inner hollow raised its sword above its head, intending to cleave Yuichi in half. As the sword came swinging down, time to slow for Yuichi. More images of his life flashed through his mind, images him and Hironari fighting off bandits in Rukongai, images of him killing Hironari's murderers, and finally images of him as young boy fending off bullies in school.

In a burst of reiatsu, Yuichi caught his inner hollow's sword with his left hand. As soon as his hand touched the blade it began disintegrating, shocking his inner hollow.

"Don't talk to me about my fighting instinct. I've been fighting ever since I was born. I fought for my mother's sake, both when she was alive and when she was died. I fought on even when I was in the body of a parakeet. And my life in Rukongai has been one of endless struggle. I've never stopped fighting to protect myself and the people I love!" Yuichi yelled out. As the inner hollow's blade disappeared, Yuichi took up his blade and thrust it through its throat.

"Noooo, this is not the last you will see of me!!" his inner hollow cried out as it turned into dust. Yuichi fell onto his knees in exhaustion as the sword he was holding also disappeared. Then with his remaining strength, he crawled over to the three legged crow.

"Are you my Zanpakuto?" Yuichi asked. The crow nodded.

"As your inner hollow said, I am the embodiment of your soul. My current condition is due to the fact that your soul was being devoured by the hollow," the crow said. "Now that it has been defeated, both myself and this inner world can return to normal."

"But how come you're trapped in this cage? There must be some way to free you."

"I am afraid the only way to open this cage is to speak my name," the crow shook its head. "You know it in your heart. It was the name you gave your pet parakeet. Have you forgotten it already?" Yuichi tried hard to recall his earliest childhood memories, especially the memories of him getting the parakeet.

"Um, I think the name I called it was...Yata-something," Yuichi stuttered. The three-legged crow gave a loud sigh.

"Hopefully next time you'll remember my name," the crow said. "Unfortunately you must leave now. This world is about to undergo a regeneration."

"Wait, give me another chance!" Yuichi pleaded. But it was no use. He felt his body being sucked through a vortex as his inner world slowly disappeared...

Outside, thirty minutes had passed, and now Rukia was the one inside the barrier, trying the best she could to hold off a Yuichi who had almost completed transforming into a hollow. A crow-shaped hollow mask completely covered his head and his entire body resembled a hideous crow-like bird monster. _This is bad, he's almost transformed into a hollow_, she thought. Her eyes widened when she saw the hollow's beak open up and channel red spirit energy. _A cero!_

"Bakudo 81, Danku!" Rukia shouted. She summoned a barrier in front of herself to block the cero. Just as the hollow was about to fire the cero, it suddenly stopped charging. Then a second later it screamed out as huge torrents of blood spurted out from its body.

"Hachi, get Rukia out of there!" Ichigo yelled. Hachigen quickly removed Rukia from his barrier, just the hollowfied Yuichi burst apart in a spectacular explosion. The force of the blast was enough to shatter the barrier. When the dust cleared, the figure of Yuichi emerged, bloodied and battered, but back to his normal self. The crow-like mask that was on his head fell onto the ground, before Yuichi himself collapsed onto his front. Astounded at how quickly he had beaten his inner hollow, a smiling Ichigo kneeled down beside Yuichi's body.

"You did great Yuichi-kun," Ichigo said. "It took me twice as long to force my inner hollow into submission. Your will must be powerful indeed." Yuichi could do nothing but smile as he slowly lost consciousness.

* * *

By the time the internal subjugation was over, night had already fallen. Ichigo ordered Karin and Yuzu to take Yuichi home and look after him. After the two sisters did the best they could to ease his pain, they could do nothing more but wait for his recovery. As the two sisters went to bed, Karin and Yuzu started having strange dreams.

"Yuichi-kun," Karin mumbled in her sleep. "I hope you get better soon." As she fell into a deep sleep, Karin dreamt of a large football pitch inside an even larger stadium. Tens of thousands of people packed into the stadium. Karin imaged herself facing up against a team of hundreds of robustly built men. She was alone by herself, with no to support her. _How did I end up here?_ Karin thought to herself. The horde of men slowly approached her and as their faces became clearer it was apparent to Karin that they were no longer men, but monsters, their faces distorted into grotesque caricatures.

"LITTLE GIRL, AFTER WE BEAT YOU WE'RE GOING TO STRIP YOU DOWN AND RAVAGE YOU!!" the monsters cackled. All that Karin had to fight against the monsters was a soccer ball. Without even realizing it, Karin's entire body started shaking uncontrollably.

"How am I going to win with this?" Karin asked herself.

"Using your own skill," a voice that sounded like Yuichi replied. Before she could even react, a brown-haired man suddenly appeared in front of her. He stood more than a head higher than Karin and when he showed his face to her Karin could see that he looked like an older, much more handsome version of Yuichi.

"Who, who are you?" Karin asked.

"Your partner," the man replied. Then without warning he kicked the soccer ball at the monsters, destroying dozens of them in a single hit. Karin was astounded by what she was seeing. The man summoned another soccer ball and kicked it through the heads of more monsters.

"What are those monsters?" Karin asked.

"They're representations of the negative emotions you've tried to bury all of these years," the man replied. "Ever since your mother died you've suppressed all feelings of loneliness, pain and anger into the very core of your heart, in order to present a facade of strength to everyone. But deep down, you're still the scared little girl who needs a heroic protector like Shibata Yuichi to rescue you."

"What do you mean? And how come you look like Yuichi-kun?" Karin asked.

"I merely took on the shape and appearance of the person you're most familiar with," the man replied. "I can take on any shape or appearance, but it is more convenient to appear in this form." It took Karin a while to register what he meant, but then she realized who he was.

"Are you my Zanpakuto?" she asked. The man didn't speak, but Karin noticed he was nodding slightly. "What is this place?"

"It's your inner world," Karin's Zanpakuto spirit replied. "It's the physical representation of your soul. These shadow monsters are also representations of your soul, and the more you try to repress your emotions, the stronger and more numerous they become.

"Then how do I defeat them? Can you teach me that trick with the soccer ball?"

"I can, but in order to so you must open up your heart. Don't repress your emotions. Share it with the people around you. If you don't open yourself to others how will they open their hearts to you? All this time you haven't even bothered to ask what my name is." After hearing her Zanpakuto's words, Karin broke down in tears.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried out. "I wanted to be a strong girl who wouldn't cry, so I buried all of my sadness into myself. I didn't want anyone to feel pity or sympathy for me. I wanted to be a woman that others could rely upon. But...I couldn't! No matter how hard I tried, I would always turn to Ichigo to protect me. And when I met Yuichi-kun, I sensed the emotional torment inside his heart, and it was too much for me to bear!" Karin fell onto her hands and knees and sobbed uncontrollably. The monsters, sensing her weakness, tried to pounce upon her.

"Don't just lie down and cry like that!" her Zanpakuto spirit scolded her. "It's one thing to express your emotions, but it's another thing to be a slave to them. You're still a strong girl Karin, and it's about time you showed your toughness. Hold my hand and you shall receive my power." Karin held out her hand and as soon as she felt her Zanpakuto's hand a rush of spirit energy surged through her body. She then saw her Zanpakuto's body disintegrate.

"Wait, don't go! You haven't told me your name yet!" Karin pleaded.

"You've known my name all along. You just haven't realized it yet," the Zanpakuto spirit smiled as he dissolved into spirit particles. Before Karin knew what was happening, she was suddenly wrenched from her inner world and woke up with a copious amount of sweat flowing down her side.

"Was that...just a dream?" Karin wondered.

* * *

At same time that Karin experienced her dream, her sister Yuzu also went through a similar journey. She was thinking about her mother and Yuichi when all of a sudden her body fell into a deep sleep and her mind was cast into a strange realm. She looked all around and was astounded at what she was seeing. Everywhere her eyes turned she could see numerous teddy bears, dolls of all shapes and sizes, other plush animals, and a fairy tale castle in the distance.

"Where am I? What is this place?" Yuzu asked.

"Teehee, this is your inner world," a young girl's voice replied. Yuzu looked all around but couldn't tell where the voice came from.

"Who said that? I can't see where you are!" she called out.

"I'm right in front of you," a small, girl with wings no larger than Yuzu's hand appeared right in front of her eyes. Yuzu was so surprised that she tripped over and fell onto her rear end.

"What, what are you?" she asked.

"Can't you tell what I am? I'm a fairy," the girl replied. Yuzu was confused.

"But what are you doing here? What is this place anyway?"

"This is my home, silly," the fairy teased. "I've lived here ever since you were born."

"Huh, ever since I was born? But I don't know about this place!" Yuzu protested. Before she could get a response, the world around her suddenly changed. The blue sky turned an eerie red and the soft green grass turned into a brown desert. The teddy bears transformed into monstrous ogres, the dolls became succubi and harpy, and the fairy tale castle was now a demonic fortress. Unable to comprehend what was happening Yuzu fell onto her knees and trembled all over in fear.

"I'm scared...what is going on?" she asked the fairy. "The happy fairy tale land is now a dark and scary place."

"This is what my home really looks like," the fairy replied. Yuzu was shocked at her transformation. Instead of a hand-sized sprite, she was now a fully grown elfin woman with wings on her back.

"You just turned into an elf! How did you do that?" Yuzu asked.

"I can take many forms and appearances, but over the past few years I've been stuck in this form," the fairy turned elf said.

"You've been stuck in this form? Who did this to you?"

"You did," the elf's response struck Yuzu like a lightning bolt through the heart. "When I said I have lived in this realm since you were born, I was not joking. This is your inner world, Yuzu-hime, and I am your Zanpakuto spirit."

"You're my Zanpakuto spirit?" Yuzu was now so shocked and confused at everything that she thought she was going insane. "And this...is my inner world? How come it's like this?"

"It wasn't always like this of course. In the beginning it was the happy and colourful fairy tale land you first saw. But the moment when everything changed was the death of your mother. You relied on her so much that when she died, the moral support of this world was shattered. For years afterwards you tried your hardest to act like the surrogate mother to your brother and sister, and when you were alone you tried to convince yourself that everything was fine. But the truth is, the darkness has been spreading through your heart all this time. More than a year ago it succeeded in capturing the castle, the core of the inner world. I was ejected from the castle and since then I've tried my hardest to fight against the darkness. But it's a losing battle. I need your help Yuzu-hime. Will you be willing to fight alongside me to retake your inner world?"

"Of course I will!" Yuzu stated with a renewed sense of conviction. "I'm no longer the innocent little girl that hides behind Onii-san anymore. I'm going to banish the darkness in my heart and confront my inner demons!" Yuzu's Zanpakuto spirit smiled happily.

"Your spirit's finally returned, Yuzu-hime. Take my hand and I shall lend you my powers," she said. Yuzu grasped her hand and in an instant felt a rush of spirit energy through her body. What Yuzu did not expect was for her Zanpakuto to disintegrate into spirit particles.

"What's happening to you?" Yuzu asked. "You're disappearing!"

"I'm merely becoming a part of you, Yuzu-hime," her Zanpakuto spirit's voice echoed in Yuzu's mind. "My power is your power. All you need now is to say my name."

"But, I don't know your name."

"Yes you do. You've known all it all long. You just haven't realized it yet. Try hard to concentrate and you'll remember it."

"Um, I'll try..." Yuzu said hesitantly. She reached into her deepest memories and recalled the name that she had heard in her subconsciousness thoughts. "Your name is..."

Before Yuzu knew what had happened, she woke up with sweat flowing down her neck.

"So it was a dream after all," Yuzu sighed. "Why did I have to wake up at this moment? One more second and I would have found out my Zanpakuto's name."

* * *

Notes: Well, for the people who predicted it, I'm sorry to say that Yuichi does undergo the hollowfication process. It sounds cliche I know, but Yuichi won't neccessarily follow Ichigo's path. The circumstances of his hollowfication and his relationship with his inner hollow are different to Ichigo's. Yuichi's inner hollow is a foreign intruder that was slowly killing Yuichi from within, Ichigo's inner hollow is a part of his soul. How Yuichi develops his powers will be gradually revealed as the story progresses. In addition to the hollowfication, this chapter also features the inner worlds of Yuichi, Karin and Yuzu, with their respective Zanpakuto spirits. The names of their Zanpakutos will be revealed in the next few chapters but all I can say now is that the design of the Zanpakuto spirits is heavily related to how Yuichi, Karin and Yuzu's Zanpakutos will look like.


	7. Chapter 7: Dreams of a Zanpakuto

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: Two years after starting their education at the Shinigami Academy, Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi, Orihime and Tatsuki, along with their fellow Karakura friends, experience a completely new setting when the third year Academy students are moved to Tokyo City and are ordered to spend a year on patrol, gaining in experience in performing Konsos and killing low-level hollows. Initially all them find the experience quite easy, but when Yuichi is attacked by a hollow named Howler, things take a turn for the worse. With a malicious virus inside his body that is causing him to hollowfiy, Yuichi is forced to endure an inner world subjugation of his hollow supervised by Ichigo, Rukia and Hachigen. He manages to subdue his inner world but fails to discover the name of his Zanpakuto. Karin and Yuzu also undergo inner world experiences and confront their Zanpakuto avatars, but like Yuichi fail to find out their names...

* * *

Chapter 7: Dreams of a Zanpakuto

In a dark and shadowy place, a mysterious figure watched on as a group of people applied roughshod medical treatment upon the hollow known as Howler. Buckled down upon an operating table, Howler screamed in pain as the gaping hole in his chest was replaced by flesh from other hollows.

"STOP IT! THE PAIN! OH THE PAIN! IT HURTS SO MUCH!" Howler cried out.

"Quit your whining!" the mysterious figure barked back. "You are lucky that I decided to spare your life rather than kill you on the spot. It already goes against the very fabric of my morality to deal with a hollow like you."

"WHAT, WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?" Howler asked. He let out a hollow shriek as the last piece of his chest was restored.

"I am giving you an opportunity to have your revenge against the Shinigami who inflicted that wound on you. How does that prospect sound?" Howler's yellow eyes immediately lit up, and he licked his lips in an almost ravenous state.

"However, there are certain conditions you must accept. Firstly, in your current state you wouldn't stand a chance even against the lowliest Shinigami. That is why I'm going to make you more powerful." The shadow figure, his face still hidden by the darkness, walked to Howler's side. Then before the hollow could react, the figure ripped into his mask with a knife. Howler screamed in unbearable pain as half of his mask was torn off. He struggled to break loose of the restraining bonds that were tying him down to the table.

"Argh, let me go! I'm going to kill you for what you did to me!" Howler yelled out.

"I suggest you calm down or else _I_ will kill you," the figure said in a commanding voice. "Have you noticed the change in your voice? It's no longer the bestial growl it was before." It took Howler a long while to realise what was happening to him. His former bat-like hollow body underwent a drastic mutation, gradually becoming human-like, with a proper set of arms and legs. Howler felt the unmasked side of his mask and noticed that it had returned to a normal human face. Even though he was bleeding all over, Howler couldn't contain his glee.

"Yes, yes, hahaha!" he laughed insanely. "I'm become an Arrancar! I've regained my humanity! And now I have the power to crush that Shinigami!"

As Howler continued his insane laugh, the shadowy figure walked over to a window and looked outside. The moon's light cast a shadow on his face, and it did so the man grinned.

"Soon Kurosaki Ichigo, your credibility will be in tatters," he said.

* * *

Word of Yuichi's injuries and his subsequent rehabilitation by the headmaster spread quickly and within days most of the students of Class B1 had found out about it. Orihime and Tatsuki in particular felt saddened by the fact that they couldn't come to Yuichi's aid.

"I'm still horrified at what happened to Shibata-kun," Orihime said to Tatsuki. The two of them were on patrol in their sector of Shinjuku-ku, a few kilometres away from Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi's jurisdiction.

"I wonder what he's become," Tatsuki said. "There are rumours going around that he's now part hollow. Do you think that's true Inoue?"

"Hmm...maybe Shibata-kun's like Kurosaki-kun now," Orihime pondered. "A Shinigami who has taken on hollow powers. What were they called again? Oh right, a Vizard."

"Whatever they are, I sure hope Yuichi is the same cheerful boy we all know and love." Orihime and Tatsuki were so caught up in their discussion about Yuichi's fate that they failed to pay attention to their surroundings, nor did they bother to check on their soul pagers. For whilst they were chatting a pair of hollows had managed to sneak up on them. Only the reiatsu detection senses they had developed during the last two years prevented Orihime and Tatsuki from being injured as the two hollows jumped out from behind a side alley and attacked.

"Where did they come from?" Orihime asked. Tatsuki hastily pulled out her soul pager and saw that the presence of the two hollows had already been detected.

"Darn it, we were too distracted by the talk about Yuichi that we dropped our guard," Tatsuki gnashed her teeth in frustration. She and Orihime hastily pulled out their Asauchis. The hollows however seemed amused at the sight of two girls wielding swords that looked like sticks and rather than being frightened they became even more eager to kill them and taste their souls.

"Orihime, I think we should split up and take on one of the hollows," Tatsuki suggested.

"Good idea, Tatsuki-chan," Orihime nodded. She focused on the smaller, more agile hollow whilst Tatsuki chose to fight the larger, lumbering hollow. Upon seeing them split up, the two hollows attacked. The smaller hollow leaped at Orihime and lashed out with its claws. Orihime barely managed to dodge the hollow, and her counter-attack completely missed. The hollow leaped onto a wall and attacked her again. This time she tried to block it with her sword but the hollow's claws tore a gash through her right cheek. Tatsuki was also having trouble fighting her hollow. On her very first strike her sword was grabbed by the big hollow's arms. The big hollow ripped Tatsuki's sword away and flew it onto the ground. Left without a sword, Tatsuki resorted to Hakuda, and launched a spinning kick at the hollow's head. To her shock the kick barely had an impact, and Tatsuki narrowly avoided her leg being grabbed.

"These hollows are tough," Tatsuki grimaced.

"Tatsuki-chan, we should switch opponents," Orihime said. "I can attack the big hollow with Kido and you can handle the smaller hollow with Hakuda."

"Alright." The two of them shifted places. Orihime kept her distance and charged up Reiyoku in her hands.

"Hadou 31, Shakkaho!" Orihime shouted. She fired a red ball of energy at the larger hollow, engulfing it in an explosion. Tatsuki meanwhile sparred evenly with the smaller hollow, countering the hollow's claw strikes. However, the hollow eventually got one strike in and slashed Tatsuki across the waist. At the same time, the larger hollow emerged from the blast virtually unscathed.

"No way..." Orihime stuttered. She was so shocked at the failure of her attack that when the hollow charged at her she didn't even see it coming.

"Orihime!!" Tatsuki shouted. At this moment, she was brought crashing to the ground by the smaller hollow. Just as she and Orihime were about to get attacked by the hollows, they felt a sudden rush of reiatsu nearby.

"Licht Regen," a voice shouted out. From out of nowhere a shower of more than a thousand blue spirit arrows appeared. Concentrated into a single mass, the arrows overwhelmed the larger hollow, pulverizing it with countless wounds. At the same time, a large red armoured hand appeared and grabbed the smaller hollow's claws.

"La Muerte," another voice said. A second later the smaller hollow literally exploded outwards as a surge of spirit energy passed through its body and formed into the shape of a skull. In the aftermath of the attacks, Orihime and Tatsuki looked up and were astonished to see Ishida and Chad. Ishida had summoned his spirit bow Ginrei Kojaku and Chad had both of his armoured arms.

"Ishida-kun! Sado-kun!" Inoue exclaimed. Ishida and Chad helped the two girls onto their feet.

"Thank you for saving us," Tatsuki said, her face red with embarrassment.

"We thought you needed a little help against those hollows," Ishida grinned.

"We came as soon as we sensed your spirit pressures wavering," Chad added. Orihime and Tatsuki said nothing as Ishida and Chad took them back home. Both of them were contemplating their own lack of strength.

* * *

Later that night, as Orihime and Tatsuki entered their gigais and went to bed, their thoughts were still on their failure to defeat two low-level hollows and how Ishida and Chad had to rescue them once again. Orihime lay on the side of the bed overlooking the window, gazing at the moon. With the images of her failed Kido spell running through her mind, Orihime looked at her hands. She then felt her hairclips, and it took her a while to remember that they were useless.

"I wish could be a part of Amaterasu-san again," Orihime sighed. "Then I wouldn't be so weak and helpless. If I can't even protect myself then how am I going to protect Ishida-kun, Tatsuki-chan and everyone else?" Before she knew what was happening, she started crying. Tears flowed down the side of her face as feelings of helplessness overcame her.

"I'm so weak...I want to be stronger...I don't want others to rescue me anymore," she sobbed. Orihime continued to cry to herself until she fell into a deep sleep. At this moment, she started having the strangest dream. She imagined herself waking up in a grand king size bed, in an enormous bedroom. The entire room was lavishly decorated with the finest carpet, paintings on all of the walls and a gold encrusted chandelier. When Orihime looked down she saw herself dressed in the robes of a princess.

"Where am I?" she asked. She got out of the bed and walked out of the room. Within a few steps she found herself at the edge of the balcony. She peered down below and gasped. The ground was hundred of metres below her. In a panic she ran around the room desperately trying to find another exit. But the realization dawned upon her that she was trapped in a room inside a tower with no way of escaping.

"Somebody help me!!" she cried out. Her voice echoed through the air. A minute later it was answered by an echo of the same cry.

"We heard you," a voice replied. Orihime looked around to see where the voice came from, but she couldn't see anyone. There were no feasible exits apart from the balcony window, nor was a secret stairwell hidden beneath the floor.

"Hello, is anybody there?" Orihime asked. She went to the balcony and shouted "Hello?" again. Apart from the echo there wasn't any response.

"Maybe I'm hearing things," Orihime sighed. She went back to the bed and lay down.

"Is this a dream? Then how come it feels so reel? If it is a dream, I should be able to wake up when I close and open my eyes again...but I can't. What is this place?"

"This is your inner world, silly," the same voice from earlier sounded. Orihime shot back up and looked around.

"Where are you? Show yourself!!" she shouted nervously.

"Hey, you don't have to shout," a blonde-haired girl with a ponytail suddenly appeared beside the bed. "Do you know how loud your voice sounds in here?" She was wearing an orange jumper and skirt. A second later, five other people appeared out of nowhere. They included a girl wearing a ridiculously oversized dress, a huge guy with a mask covering his jaw, a skinny man with a monocle eye and a purple jumpsuit, a red-haired woman with yellow glasses and a one-piece dress, and finally a man wearing a black suit with a thick scarf around his mouth. Orihime was taken aback by their sudden appearance.

"Who, who are you people?" she asked.

"Huh, don't tell me you've forgotten your memories about us!" the man wearing the scarf exclaimed.

"Perhaps it's a side effect of her separation from Amaterasu-hime," the guy with the glasses said. The girl with the oversized dress approached Orihime.

"Please try hard to remember who we are, Orihime-sama," she said. "We're the embodiments of your spiritual power." Orihime focused hard at recalling her memories. The years she spent inside the King's realm had blurred them so much that she couldn't tell what memories belonged to her and what memories were actually Amaterasu's. Despite this blurring, she finally managed to recall images of the six people in front of her. Some of the images were of them as normal humans whilst others had them take the shape of fairies. In a reflex action Orihime touched her hair-clips. As soon she touched it a sudden jolt of realization shot through her.

"You guys! I remember you now!" she exclaimed. But before she could say their names, the entire room flashed white and Orihime felt her body being sucked into an abyss. She woke up with sweat in her hair and breathed heavily. She pounded her mattress in frustration.

"Why did I have to wake up at that moment? I was so close to recalling their names!" she said to herself. For the rest of the night she couldn't sleep well.

* * *

Tatsuki was also experiencing a strange dream of her own. After spending half the night muttering about her inability to use a sword or cast a spell she fell into a trance. When she opened her eyes she found herself inside an enormous cave. The entire place was almost pitch black, and the ground was solid bedrock. Tatsuki got onto her feet and looked around. The roof of the cave was so high that she couldn't even see it, and the cave seemed to stretch on forever in both directions.

"What is this place?" Tatsuki wondered to herself. It took a moment to realize she was dressed in a white karate gi. A sudden gust of wind came from the depth of the cave, causing Tatsuki to shiver.

"Brrr, it's so cold. Why am I dressed in my karate gi?" Braving the cold, Tatsuki slowly walked deeper into the cave. Stalagmites protruded from almost every second step of the ground, and the sounds of bats chirping echoed through the cave at regular intervals. For what seemed like an eternity Tatsuki continued to walk without encountering anything. She began to wonder if she was going to be stuck wandering this cave forever.

Just when she was about to give up in exhaustion she saw source of light in the distance. With renewed hope about escaping from the cave, Tatsuki started running to the light source. As she got closer to it the light source glowed bright yellow. When she finally reached the light source she was dumbstruck at what she saw. Rather than the exit to the cave, the light source was actually a bright flame hanging from the tail of an immense dragon, blue in colour, and stretching more than fifty metres in length. The dragon was sleeping against what looked like a boulder to the outside.

Without a second thought, Tatsuki tried to climb over the dragon, hoping to sneak under the boulder. As soon as she lay her hands on the dragon's body however it woke up and glared at her with two solemn eyes. Tatsuki jumped off the dragon in surprise and fell to the ground.

"Eh, I'm sorry for touching you, dragon-san," Tatsuki stuttered.

"No need to apologise," the dragon bellowed in a deep voice. "I've been awake the whole time. I was only pretending to be asleep."

"Oh, I see," Tatsuki said. "Would you mind telling me where I am? What is this cave? And who are you anyway? Some sort of blue dragon?"

"So many useless questions," the dragon sighed, breathing out smoke as it did so.

"If you want to know, this place is your inner world. The cave represents the physical embodiment of your spiritual power," the dragon said. "As for me, I am your Zanpakuto."

"This cave is my inner world? And you're my Zanpakuto?" Tatsuki asked. She could barely comprehend what she had heard. "This, this must be a dream right?"

"It's not a dream. I summoned your consciousness here. For years I've lain dormant inside this cave, hoping that someday you'd reach out and speak to me. But when you momentarily lose control of your sword I knew it was time to take action. You are capable of so much more Tatsuki, you're just not aware of it yet. You have a vast hidden potential that you haven't tapped into."

"A vast hidden potential? How is that possible? I can't control my reiatsu, can't handle a sword and even my Hakuda is useless and real enemies." Tatsuki pounded the ground in frustration, before rubbing her fist in pain.

"You haven't understood what I've said. This cave represents your powers. The boulder behind me is a plug that is blocking the full extent of your powers. I've been waiting a long time for you to find a way to remove it." The dragon shifted its body weight to allow Tatsuki access to the boulder. She felt the surface of the follow and saw that it was even harder than the ground.

"How am I suppose to remove this?" Tatsuki asked. "There's no way I move it with just raw strength."

"Of course not. Not even I can shift the boulder despite my immense size," the dragon replied. "There is an incantation on that boulder that restricts my abilities. In order to break the rocks, I need you to say the command to release me from my bonds. Then I can break the boulder and release your hidden powers."

"Um, what's the command then?"

"I will tell you the command, and my name, right now," the dragon said. Just as the dragon was about to speak the entire cave around Tatsuki disappeared and she found herself waking up in her bed, sweat flowing down her neck.

"Was that really a dream?" Tatsuki asked herself. "It felt so real." She got up and saw that the sun had started to rise. With a deep sigh, Tatsuki went to get herself changed.

In the following weeks, Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki met up and discussed Yuichi's hollowfication process as well as the strange inner world encounters they all seemed to experience. All of them were surprised at that fact that their experiences were remarkably similar: waking in a strange world, meeting an animal or human that happened to be their Zanpakuto and then waking up in real life just before they were about to find out their Zanpakuto's names.

"Have any of you experienced the dream again?" Yuzu asked. The others shook their heads.

"I think our Zanpakutos may have forcibly dragged us into our inner worlds," Tatsuki reckoned. With no luck at entering their inner worlds again, the five of them continued their patrol duties. During this time they encountered no hollows and only had to deal with several Konsos. However, one morning in March was going to change their lives forever...

* * *

On the morning of that day, deputy headmaster Kuchiki Rukia received a message from a hell butterfly just as she was finished washing the breakfast dishes.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki, Captain Kurosaki has urged you to return to Soul Society at once," the butterfly spoke. "There is a matter that you need to attend to."

"It couldn't have come a worse time," Rukia sighed. "Come on kids, let's get going! We're returning to Soul Society." After she got Kaien and Masaki changed she took them over to the Seireimon near the Tokyo Tower.

"Minazawa, the captain has called me back. Take care of the operations whilst I'm away okay?" she ordered her third seat. Minazawa nodded.

"Don't worry, Tokyo city will be in the same condition when you get back!" Minazawa called out. He waved at Rukia as she entered the Seireimon with her children.

Less than half an hour after Rukia passed through the Seireimon however, something drastic happened. The Spatial distortion field that prevented the spirit pressures of the academy students and the Gotei 13 officers from influencing ordinary humans, and also kept large concentrations of hollows at bay, suddenly dissipated. Minazawa, who was in the spatial field's control underneath the Tokyo Tower, immediately sensed what had happened.

"Minazawa, the spatial dome's down!" Tanaka burst into the office.

"I know that! Mariko, can you fix it?" Minazawa asked.

"I'm trying," Mariko replied. She frantically pressed switches and buttons, but to no avail. "I fear someone either from the inside or the outside may have tampered with it."

"We've got no choice then...Tanaka, return to Seireitei immediately and inform the captain and lieutenant about this at once! I don't care if they're in a meeting. Right now, we're the only three Gotei 13 officers in the entire city. If Tokyo is attacked right now, countless academy students might die." Without saying another word, Tanaka nodded and went off to order the Seireimon be opened. Mariko continued her attempt to get the spatial dome up. Minazawa however, went to issue message to all of the students in the city, ordering them to return to their apartments and lock the doors. Within seconds the message was transmitted to every student in Tokyo.

Most of the students who received the message immediately complied, returning to their apartments and placing spiritual barriers on the doors. One group of people however, failed to comprehend the message. Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki were on patrol in the day time in an attempt to improve the fighting abilities. When the saw the message on their pages, they wondered if the message was part of an evacuation exercise. At this moment, high above Shinjuku-ku, the sky was torn open as a garganta appeared. Standing inside the garganta were four huge hollows and an arrancar.

The hollows varied in appearance but were generally the same. The arrancar however had white hair, pale skin and protruding fangs, in addition to a mask that covered the left side of his face. He peered down at the city and grinned.

"At last, it is time to begin the hunt," he said. "All of you find the nearest spiritual presence and eliminate them! Leave none alive!"

In an instant the huge hollows rushed out of the garganta and flew down to the city below. The arrancar closed the garganta behind him before following after the hollows.

Down on the ground, the Yuichi and the others sensed the sudden appearance of large hollow reiatsus. They quickly got out their asauchis and tried to find where the spiritual pressures were coming from.

Without warning, the five of them sensed the spiritual pressures heading towards them. One of them almost landed on top of Yuichi. He barely managed to step to the side and took a good look at his attacker. The shape of the hollow greatly confused him for not only was it humanoid but it also wearing clothing. When the hollow stood up and stared at him Yuichi was even more confused. He could actually see a human face and the hollow's mask was broken. _What kind of being is this?_ Yuichi thought.

"Are you surprised to see me?" the humanoid hollow smirked. "Or are you simple confused as to who am I? Perhaps you don't remember me, which isn't surprising. I however, certainly remember you, little boy. The wound through my stomach you gave me still burns." He rubbed his abdomen region. For a while Yuichi didn't quite comprehend the gesture, but when the hollow then revealed his fangs, he realized who he was facing.

"You! You're the hollow who attacked me! You're Howler!" Yuichi exclaimed. "What's with that form and appearance? You look like a human and have a broken masked. No normal hollow has those kinds of traits."

"I'm not a normal hollow little boy," Howler cackled. "I am an Arrancar, a hollow who has removed his mask. Not only have I regained my humanity but I have also acquired Shinigami powers!!" As soon as Howler mentioned the word 'arrancar' Yuichi recalled the textbooks he had read about special types of hollows, and how the Gotei 13 fought against hollows who had removed their masks during the Winter War. _An arrancar...a hollow who has acquired Shinigami powers...this is going to be difficult._

"Still, I have to commend you on your luck little boy. You somehow overcame the poison from my fangs. But this time you won't be so lucky. I'll dice you into pieces before I eat you!" Howler pulled out a Zanpakuto from a scabbard by his belt. He then began exerting a reiatsu that took Yuichi by surprise. Yuichi could do nothing but grip his asauchi tightly. Steeling all of his courage he charged at Howler and slashed at him.

In a different corner block, Karin struggled against a fast and agile hollow that could somehow keep up with her Shunpo. She tried slashing at the hollow with her sword but the hollow demonstrated an ability to move through the air and leave behind an after-image. _I didn't know hollows could Shunpo_.

"DIE!!!" the hollow shouted, appearing behind Karin and slashing at her back with its claws. She managed to turn around just in time and blocked its attack with her sword. With her spare left hand she charged up a Kidou spell, shouting out "Hadou 4 Byakurai!" and firing a beam of blue lightning directly at the hollow's face. To her shock the hollow disappeared just as the beam was about to strike it. It then reappeared above Karin.

"This is getting annoying," Karin grimaced.

A few blocks away, Karin's sister Yuzu was in a fight of her own against a big and lumbering hollow. She barely managed to avoid being hit by a blow that smashed a hole in the side of a house. _If I got hit by that, I would be in serious trouble_, Yuzu thought. She knew she wasn't good at Zanjutsu or Hakuda, so her only option was to resort to Kidou spells. She charged up Reiyoku in her palms and pointed it at the hollow.

"Hadou 33, Soukatsui!" she shouted. The blue blast of energy hit the hollow square on, causing a large explosion. But when the dust cleared, the hollow emerged completely unscathed.

"THAT HURT, ANNOYING GIRL," the hollow grunted.

"What should I do now?" Yuzu wondered.

At this moment, Orihime and Tatsuki were also engaged in battles against huge hollows. Orihime was facing against a hollow that mostly stood still but could shoot small arrows from its enlarged skull. Orihime was to take cover in alleyways and behind cars.

"STOP HIDING AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN," the hollow taunted her.

"Do you see a man around?" Orihime popped up and taunted back. At that moment, she barely avoided getting hit by another rain of arrows. _What should I do now? I can't even attack back. _

Tatsuki was fighting against a robustly built hollow with enough strength to shatter the ground with its fists. Tatsuki initially tried to use her sword, but fearing that it would get snatched by the hollow's hands; she unsheathed her sword and resorted to Hakuda instead. She landed multiple punches and kicks against the hollow but none of them had an effect. Worse still, Tatsuki's hands started to get sore and swell up.

"Damn it, I can't even damage it," Tatsuki cursed to herself. "What is its skin made of?"

The hollow charged at her like a bull.

* * *

Notes: The inner world experiences continue as Orihime and Tatsuki meet their Zanpakuto avatars. Orihime's Zanpakuto name is probably going to be obvious to all readers. In any case, the names of their Zanpakutos, as well as Yuichi, Karin and Yuzu's Zanpakutos, will be revealed next chapter as the battle for Tokyo city begins. It's going to be the first series of major battles in the story. I also had Howler return as an arrancar because I figured Yuichi would need a much stronger opponent given his potentially untapped hollow powers. The shadowy figure shown at the start of the chapter will have an important role to play, but I'm not going to reveal his identity yet!

In a more depressing announcement, I would like to say to anyone who reads this to please respect my work and provide feedback. A few days ago I stumbled upon a plagiarised copy of Bleach: After the War, where someone obviously just copied whole chapters and tried to pass them off as his own work.


	8. Chapter 8: Awakenings

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: At the beginning of their third year at the Shinigami Academy, Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi, Orihime and Tatsuki experience a great change when they and the other Academy students move to Tokyo City. Over the course of the year they are tasked with patrolling the neighbourhoods, performing Konso, and dealing with low-level hollows. However, when Yuichi runs into a hollow named Howler, the resulting battle ends in Yuichi getting bitten by Howler, causing him undergo a hollowfication process. With the help of Ichigo, Rukia and the fourth division's Hachigen, Yuchi suppresses his hollow side in a battle in his inner world, but is unable to awaken his Zanpakuto. Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki also undergo inner world experiences and fall short of learning their Zanpakuto's names. A month after Yuichi's battle with Howler, the vampiric hollow returns as an arrancar, leading a team of huge hollows on an invasion of Tokyo city. The five students of Class B1 soon engage in battles against these powerful hollows...

* * *

Chapter 8: Awakenings

Tatsuki tried to jump up and dodge the huge hollow's charge, but her feet weren't quick enough and were caught by the hollow's arms.

"Shit!" Tatsuki swore. The hollow swung her round and round and then proceeded to throw her towards a nearby takoyaki stand. She crashed into the stand, causing it to topple over and spill all of its contents onto the ground. The owner of the stand, an ordinary human, trembled in terror and wondered what caused it fall over so violently.

"It's a ghost, it must be a ghost! Ah!!" he screamed as he ran away. Tatsuki climbed out of the wreckage, a massive bruise on her head and most of her upper body burnt by the hot water. She got up, dusted herself off and pulled out her sword again.

"I can't believe I have to use my Zanpakuto against this guy," she said. "I don't feel comfortable holding a sword." She charged at the hollow, and tried to thrust her sword through its head. Before she could get within a feet of its body, the hollow backhanded her with its left arm. The force of the blow was strong enough to send Tatsuki through the first floor window of an apartment. She landed on the floor of an empty room, and grimaced in pain. Her arms and hands were cut and bleeding all over and a piece of glass was imbedded in her cheek. _What should I do now? I can't fight him using my fists or my sword, and I can't do Kidou. I can't believe how pathetic I am_. Just then the roof ceiling above caved in and out of the corner of her eye Tatsuki saw the hollow stomp towards her.

At this moment, Tatsuki blacked out, and the next thing she knew she was back inside cave with the blue dragon.

"Why am I here again?" Tatsuki asked her Zanpakuto spirit.

"You should know why," the dragon replied. "You failed to uncover my name and unlock your true inner powers the last time we met. I think this is the right time to find out about it."

"Tell me your name then," Tatsuki said. "I don't know how time works in this place but outside I'm about to be killed."

"Open your heart, mind and soul to my voice and you will be able to hear it." Tatsuki closed her eyes and concentrated. After some while she heard the dragon's voice in her ear.

"Listen so closely, and don't forget it. My name and the command that will remove the barrier holding back your powers, repeat it after me." As soon as Tatsuki heard her Zanpakuto speak its name she immediately uttered its command.

"Break the tide, Ryujin!" she shouted. A second later the rock blocking the entrance of the cave shattered and the full force of the ocean waves rushed in and overwhelmed Tatsuki.

At this moment, Tatsuki awakened from her inner world experience, her body filled with reiatsu. She looked down at her Zanpakuto and noticed it changed. Instead of a sword, it was a blue-coloured metallic glove wrapped around her right hand. Upon the knuckles were a set of spikes and on the palm side of the glove was a circular pressure point. Tatsuki squeezed the glove into a tight fist and felt the power that was contained within it.

"Alright you big dumb hollow, this time you're going down," Tatsuki grinned. She charged at the hollow again, but when the hollow tried to backhand her with its hands she easily ducked its attack. Then as she got right up to its belly she punched hard with her right fist. The spiked knuckles stabbed through the hollow's skin, before unleashing four concentrated jets of super-hot steam that blasted the hollow right out of the building and crashing onto the street below. Dropping down to the ground level, Tatsuki walked up to the stricken hollow and saw that her attack had managed to blast a gaping hole in its stomach.

The hollow was far from finished however. Despite its grievous injury and the enormous quantity of blood it was spilling out it got onto its feet and went into a rampage. It smashed through walls, windows and tore apart anything it could get its hands on.

"It's gone berserk," Tatsuki said to herself. "If I don't stop it soon it will destroy the entire block." She charged at the hollow again, but instead of jumping up and punching at it, she used her feet to trip the hollow over. The monstrous beast toppled onto its back. Tatsuki then used Ryujin to punch a hole through the hollow's mask. The jets of superheated water emitted from the knuckles caused the hollow to expand. Tatsuki narrowly managed to escape just as the hollow exploded outwards from the steam. Its remains splattered onto the ground everywhere.

In the aftermath, the blue glove disappeared from Tatsuki's hand and reverted to a plain sword. Worn out from her injuries and from the overuse of her spirit energy, Tatsuki collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion, feeling happy that she had finally managed to unlock her Zanpakuto.

* * *

Meanwhile, Orihime was still running and dodging the hollow she was facing. The arrows that the hollow was shooting from the crown of its mask were strong enough to pierce through the brickwork of nearby buildings. Orihime knew she wasn't fast enough to dodge any of the arrows, nor was her Zanjutsu skilled enough to parry the arrows away like Yuichi or Karin could. Hiding behind another building, she tried to think of a way to fight back whilst recovering her breath. _Kido's my only strong point, but I can't get good shot at it if I'm out in the open_. She looked around the alleyway she was in, and saw a long piece of rope nearby.

"That's it!" she exclaimed. Grabbing the rope, she peaked out to see the hollow following her. She waited for the hollow to almost close in on her.

"COME OUT GIRL, I WANT TO EAT YOU," the hollow barked in a loud voice. As soon as it crossed the alleyway Orihime threw the rope around its body.

"I've got you now, Hadou 11, Tsuzuri Raiden!" A surge of electricity flowed through her hands, along the rope and shocked the hollow, paralysing it momentarily. Orihime quickly followed up with another Kidou spell. Forming a triangle in the air with her hands, she shouted out "Bakudo 30, Shitotsu Sansen!" Three yellow energy spikes impaled the hollow onto the walls of a building on the opposite of the street.

"I did it!" Orihime exclaimed in delight. "But now I have to kill it..." As she was pondering how to attack the hollow, Chizuru suddenly walked out onto the street.

"What are you doing Orihime?" Chizuru asked. I heard a large explosion nearby." When the hollow saw her appearance, it grinned evilly.

"YOU THINK THIS WILL STOP ME FROM FIRING?" it called out. Orihime realized what was about to happen.

"Get back Chizuru-san!" She rushed towards her just as the hollow shot out a stream of arrows. One arrow pierced through Chizuru's chest before Orihime could push her aside, and another arrow pierced Orihime's left shoulder blade. The two girls were sent skidding along the ground. Despite the blood flowing out of her wound, Orihime ignored the pain and tried to attend Chizuru. She saw that she wasn't breathing.

"Wake up, Chizuru-san, wake up!" she tried calling out. "What should I do now? I can't save Chizuru-san...I can't even save myself. I'm so hopeless." With the hollow having succeeded in breaking free of the Bakudo, Orihime gave up on any hope of victory. _No one can protect me now...I'm going to die here..._

"What are you thinking?" a voice suddenly appeared in Orihime's head. A second later she found herself transported to her inner world again. The six people she had encountered in her previous trip to her inner world were all there.

"Have you forgotten about us, Orihime?" the girl with the orange sweater asked. "Even in the direst of situations we're always here to protect you."

"As long as you are alive, we will remain your devoted servants," the guy with the monocle said.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and call out our powers," the guy with the scarf around his mouth urged Orihime. "You remember our names don't you?" Orihime nodded.

"When I died and was brought back to life by Amaterasu-san, I thought I had lost you guys for good," Orihime said. My powers came from Amaterasu, so when she separated herself from me I thought she took them with her. I guess I was a fool for thinking that way."

"Of course you are! We've been at your side this whole time!" the girl with the oversized dress said. Orihime smiled happily.

"Baigon, Lily, Hinagiku, Shun'o, Ayame, and Tsubaki, thank you for everything," she said to them. At this moment, Orihime woke up in the real world just as the hollow was about to shoot at her. With a sudden increase in her reiatsu, she got onto her feet.

"Summon, Shun Shun Rikka," Orihime muttered the incantation. Her Zanpakuto disintegrated and turned into pure spirit energy which lit up her hairpins.

"DIE!" the hollow shot out a stream of arrows. Orihime placed her hands in front of her.

"Hinagiku, Baigon, Lily, Santen Kesshun, I reject!" she called out. An orange triangular shield appeared in front of her body and blocked all of the arrows.

"WHAT IS THAT?" the hollow asked in surprise.

"Shun'o, Ayame, Soten Kesshun, I reject," Orihime said. She cast a semicircular barrier around Chizuru's body. As she watched her friend's injuries slowly heal, Orihime turned to face the hollow. She charged spirit energy into her hands.

"Tsubaki, Koten Zanshun, I reject!" she shouted. She fired a beam of orange spirit energy that pierced through the hollow's body. The hollow let out a final wail of despair before it disappeared. A few moments later, Orihime fell onto her back in exhaustion. Her six fairies reunited to form her normal Zanpakuto, but Orihime could still feel their voices.

* * *

"Hadou 4, Byakurai!" Yuzu shouted, firing a narrow blue beam of spirit energy through the shoulder of the huge hollow she was fighting against. The beam hit the hollow's chest and singed it slightly.

"THAT HURT, LITTLE GIRL," the hollow grunted again. Like a rampaging bull it charged at Yuzu on all fours. Already exhausted after firing several Kidou spells, Yuzu didn't enough energy to get away. She decided to hide inside a nearby building and hoped the hollow would rush past her. Surprisingly enough, her strategy worked. The hollow charged down the street without even noticing she was there. _Finally, I can get a breather_, she thought to herself. She tried to think of a way to fight against hollow, knowing that the Kidou spells she had cast so far had no effect on the hollow.

"Okay, I'm going to ambush him," she said to herself. She quietly exited the building and ran onto the main road. However, she went no further than a block down before the huge hollow burst out from another building.

"I HAVE FOUND YOU!" the hollow bellowed and charged at Yuzu.

"Bakudo 21, Sekienton!" Yuzu exclaimed. She placed both hands on the ground and summoned a cloud of red smoke between herself and the hollow. Without looking back, she ran as fast as she could down the street, using Shunpo wherever she could.

"DID YOU THINK YOU CAN HIDE FROM ME?" the hollow emerged from the smoke and chased after Yuzu. It suddenly extended out its tongue towards Yuzu, who sensed the attack. She turned around and held out her left arm.

"Bakudo 39, Enkosen!" she called out. A yellow oval-shaped shield about two feet long appeared in front of her body. To her dismay, the huge hollow's tongue managed to penetrate the shield, shattering it into pieces. Yuzu didn't have time to dodge the tongue, which pierced her left forearm, tearing through her tendons. The huge hollow quickly withdrew its tongue and proceeded to stomp towards her. Grasping her arm in pain, Yuzu began sobbing in despair.

"I'm so weak...I can't even defend myself," she wailed.

"Stop crying!" a female voice shouted in her head. The next moment Yuzu found herself in her inner world. In front of her was her Zanpakuto spirit, a fairy that could transform into an elf with wings.

"Have you lost your spirit already?" the elf asked her. "The battle's far from over yet." Yuzu looked around and saw that she was inside the fairy tale castle.

"What happened here?" she asked. "You managed to recapture this castle?"

"I did," the fairy nodded. "Since you regained your fighting spirit, I was able to draw upon your power and drive out the darkness that had almost consumed your inner world. But my hold on this castle is tenuous at best. If your spirit wavers at any moment, there is a chance the darkness will return."

"What shall I do then?" Yuzu asked. "I can't do anything against that huge hollow." The fairy transformed into her elf form.

"I can't believe you have forgotten what I told you last time already," the elf scolded her. "My power is already a part of you. You only need to say my name and you shall activate it."

"Oh right, your name..." Yuzu tried her hardest to remember. To aid her in remembering, the elf began singing a tune that Yuzu was familiar with; it was a song she had loved to listen to as a child. _I remember now! The title of this song is..._

At this moment Yuzu woke up in the real world. But unlike the last time, she woke up after finding out her Zanpakuto's name. Getting up onto her feet again, she gripped her Zanpakuto tightly with her right hand.

"Enchant, Youseihime," she called out. Her Zanpakuto changed from a sword into a blue wand about a foot in length. She looked at it for a moment, surprised at its appearance.

"Um...so my Shikai release is a wand?" Yuzu sighed. "How am I going to fight with this?" She looked up and saw the huge hollow charging towards her. _There's several spells you can cast, Yuzu,_ her Zanpakuto's voice spoke to her. _There's one spell that can heal people, and another that inflicts harm. I'll tell you them both right now_. Once Yuzu heard the spells inside her head, she placed the wand against her left arm.

"Shunzen," she said. A white light shot out from the wand and surrounded her arm. The hole in her forearm closed up and stopped bleeding. Astonished at her Zanpakuto's power, she then pointed the wand at the huge hollow.

"YOU'RE GOING TO FIGHT ME WITH A STICK?" the hollow laughed.

"This isn't any ordinary stick, it's a magic wand," Yuzu said. "Shou!" A black beam of light shot out of her hand and hit the huge hollow's mask. It pierced right through the hollow's head, and a few moments later the hollow let out a scream before disappearing. Still astounded by her Zanpakuto's power, Yuzu fell onto her knees in exhaustion.

* * *

Karin was still caught in a high speed chase against a surprisingly agile huge hollow. No matter how fast she tried to run or Shunpo, the hollow was able to keep up with her. _What's with this hollow's speed? I've never seen hollows being able to do Shunpo. _She tried to Shunpo behind the hollow and strike at its head with her sword. Initially she thought she had succeeded, with her blade piercing through the hollow's mask. But then the image blurred and all of a sudden Karin felt a set of claws against her neck.

"A CLEVER IDEA...TRYING TO AMBUSH ME FROM BEHIND," the hollow whispered in a menacing voice. "BUT YOU FORGOT THAT I CAN PULL THE SAME TRICK AS WELL."

"I didn't know hollows could do Shunpo," Karin maintained her cool.

"IT'S NOT SHUNPO, IT'S SONIDO," the hollow replied.

"Sonido? I've heard of that move before. My brother told me about it. But if that's your only special move, then I know a way to counter it!" Karin placed her left hand on the hollow's claw. Then she called out "Bakudo 9, Geki!" At once the hollow was paralysed by a shimmering red light. Karin broke free of the hollow's grasp, turned around and brought her sword down upon the hollow's head. This seemingly purified the hollow. Surprised at how easily she defeated her opponent, Karin mistakenly lowered her guard. That made her unable to react fast enough when she felt a reiatsu appear behind her. A claw came down and slashed across her back, tearing through her academy robes. She fell to the ground below and gasped in pain, as blood flowed down her back. When she turned around to see what had attacked her, her eyes widened in shock. The huge hollow she had supposedly killed was not only alive but there were multiple copies of it.

"HA HA, YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD KILLED ME BUT YOU WERE SADLY MISTAKEN!!" the huge hollow's voice taunted Karin. "YOU ONLY KILLED A CLONE OF ME!" Seeing a whole bunch of hollows march towards her, Karin lost all strength in her arms.

"I can't win," she sighed. "Not against so many. Odds are I'll probably be killed."

"Don't think about the odds," a voice whispered in her head. A moment later, Karin found herself in her inner world, facing against a pack of monsters on the football pitch. Her Zanpakuto spirit, a man who resembled Yuichi, was standing beside her.

"You!" Karin exclaimed. "Why have you brought me here?"

"To remind you that that the situation isn't as hopeless as you think it is," her Zanpakuto replied. "Doesn't your inner world resemble the situation you're facing right now? A single person against a group of monsters. You're right about the odds being against you, but in these circumstances victory is possible." He handed Karin a soccer ball.

"What good is a soccer ball against these monsters?" Karin asked.

"Have you forgotten your strengths Karin?" her Zanpakuto reminded her. "In the hands of a skilled practitioner, even something like a soccer ball can be a weapon." Karin suddenly remembered her actions in the past. Fighting alongside Don Kanonji, and using a soccer ball to destroy hollows. It was no different to her current circumstances.

"The ball represents my power, Karin," her Zanpakuto spirit said. "Once unlocked, the power inside will become a star that will bring light to this world." He placed his hands on Karin's shoulder and proceeded to merge with her. Like the previous time, Karin received a rush of spirit energy, but unlike the last time, she finally managed to remember her Zanpakuto's name. She woke up in the real world, still facing off against multiple copies of the huge hollow.

"Spin, Gozenhoshi," she said. At that moment, her Zanpakuto disintegrated. It was replaced by a black metallic glove resembling the ones that soccer goal keepers wear. On the palm of the glove was a glowing yellow circle. The circle shot out a beam of light that slowly coalesced into a sphere of energy. Once the sphere had formed it soon turned into a soccer ball.

"YOU'RE GOING TO FIGHT US WITH A BALL? HOW STUPID IS THAT!!" the huge hollows laughed at Karin. Karin however, licked her lips and grinned.

"In the hands and feet of a skilled practitioner, even a ball is a deadly weapon," Karin repeated her Zanpakuto's words. Charging spirit energy in her right foot, she kicked the ball as hard as she could. At lightning fast speed the ball smashed through the skull of the hollow directly in front of Karin. It then proceeded to ricochet off the various buildings and tore through the skulls of the remaining hollows, before bursting in a shower of sparkling white light.

"Is that it?" Karin looked at her glove. "A soccer ball's no use if I can't control it. Oh well, maybe I'll get the hang of it next time." As her glove disappeared and reformed into her Zanpakuto, Karin tore off the remnants of her tattered hakama and wiped off the blood on her back, before tying it around her waist region.

"That should do for now," she said, before heading off to find the others.

* * *

Of the five students, Yuichi was the only one who was still fighting. He was locked in an intense ground and aerial duel against the arrancar Howler. For the most part, he was doing his best just to defend against Howler's relentless attacks and trying to look for an opening.

"What's wrong Kozu?" Howler asked. "You haven't even tried to attack me yet." Yuichi gnashed his teeth in frustration. For a brief moment, he thought Howler had let down his guard and seized the opportunity to strike at his chest. But it turned out to be trap, for Howler had deliberately lowered his guard to lure Yuichi in. Yuichi's stab missed its target, leaving him horribly out of position. Howler proceeded the thrust his sword at Yuichi's eyes, and only Yuichi's quick reflexes prevented them from being stabbed. Howler's sword tore through his left cheek, causing blood to splatter onto the ground. Yuichi quickly Shunpo-ed away and recovered his breath.

"I have to commend your ability, Kozu," Howler said. "That you've managed to hold your own against me for this long is quite an achievement. But in the end you don't stand a chance against me."

Short on ideas, Yuichi cast his mind back to the training he received from the headmaster during the past few weeks. The words of Kurosaki Ichigo were still loud and clear in his head. _Remember, hollowfication is something you should only attempt when you've used up all other options. Not only is there a risk of the hollow rising up again, but there is a time limit to how long you can stay hollowfied for. _

"Well, seeing that Kidou and Zanjutsu weren't work on him, I have no choice but to resort to it," Yuichi said to himself. He placed left hand over his face, and started forming a hollow mask in the shape of a crow. Howler was taken aback by this sudden turn of events and wondered what was happening.

"What is this? You've got a hollow mask just like me!" he exclaimed. "What kind of being are you?" Before Howler even finished his question Yuichi Shunpo-ed in front of him and attacked him with his sword.

"Sorry, I don't have time to explain," Yuichi spoke a hollow accent. He pressed Howler, pushing him backwards, until both of them crashed through the walls of a building and came out on the other side. Yuichi overpowered Howler and sent him flying towards another building across the road.

"You little brat!" Howler shouted. He pointed his left hand in a claw shaped motion and fired a grey cero at Yuichi. Though Yuichi was caught off guard by the move, he was fast enough to dodge aside. The cero destroyed the building behind him in a large explosion. Yuichi appeared above Howler, who was still recovering from firing the cero. In a single stroke he slashed Howler's back, causing a torrent of blood to spurt out. The arrancar fell to the ground and crash landed on impact. Wasting no time, Yuichi immediately flew down towards Howler and attempted to finish him off.

"I've had it with you!" Howler screamed as he got up. "I'm going to tear you apart! Suck, Vampiro!!" The small crater he was in was engulfed by a column of spirit energy, obscuring him from view. When the smoke cleared, Yuichi could see that he had changed. His appearance resembled his original hollow form, with two large bat wings that were folded around his shoulders, black fur on his chest and large fangs protruding from his mouth. _This must be his released form_, Yuichi thought.

"Prepare to die," Howler said. He lifted up both arms and from his hands came a torrent of bats. Yuichi was about to swat the bats away when his mask suddenly broke. Shocked at his mask disappearing, Yuichi was helpless as the bats tore through his body. They bit and clawed at his chest, his waist, his arms and his legs, tearing off several pieces of flesh.

"Ha, ha, ha, it's over Kozu!!" Howler laughed. "You've lost all your power!" The swarm of bats sent Yuichi crashing into the ruins of the building that had been destroyed by the cero. With blood flowing out of his most serious wounds, Yuichi started to lose consciousness. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Howler fly up to face him. _I can't move my body...lost too much blood_, Yuichi thought to himself. _I guess this is it_. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable finishing blow. At that moment however his mind was transported to his inner world. His Zanpakuto, the three legged crow, was still inside the cage.

"Have you lost your fighting spirit already?" the crow asked. "You were ready to let that hollow kill you. Where was the courage that allowed you to suppress your own inner hollow and rescue me?"

"But, that time was different," Yuichi tried to argue. "I was fighting for the control of my body and I knew that I could win if my resolve was strong enough. This time, I don't know how I can win. I don't have anything left."

"You still have me," the crow said. "You were close to learning my name and freeing me from this cage. If there is a time to unlock your true powers, it is now. Concentrate hard and you shall remember it, the name you gave your pet parakeet." Yuichi followed his Zanpakuto's advice and recalled the memories of his parakeet, the one he merged with. He remembered the moment when he first got the parakeet and gave it a name.

"I remember it now!" Yuichi exclaimed. "It's Yatagarasu isn't it?" The door of the cage swung open, allowing the crow to fly out. It flew in the air several times before flying down and merging with Yuichi's body. _Congratulations Yuichi, you have awakened your inner powers. Now is the time to use them..._

Yuichi woke up from his inner world experience and was surprised to see that only a second had passed in the real world. Howler was still hovering above him. With his body infused with reiatsu, Yuichi climbed to his feet.

"This can't be!" Howler exclaimed madly. "You were almost dead before! And what's with this spirit pressure?" Yuichi raised his sword and pointed it at Howler.

"Glide from the heavens, Yatagarasu," he said. Almost at once his Zanpakuto changed shape. It grew in size from two foot long Asauchi to a three foot long double-bladed broadsword, with a tip shaped like a crow's beak. The blade itself was jet black in colour and the guard extended down to cover Yuichi's hand.

"This new sword of yours doesn't scare me!!" Howler screamed out. He unleashed another swarm of bats at Yuichi. However with just a single swing of his blade, Yuichi blew all the bats away. He grabbed his sword with both hands and jumped towards Howler. Before the arrancar could react, Yuichi slashed across his chest, tearing it open. Howler screamed in pain as blood spurted out from the wound.

"This is the end, arrancar," Yuichi said. He raised Yatagarasu above his head and brought it down with full force upon Howler. In a single stroke he split Howler in half before the arrancar could even react. Howler's body quickly disintegrated, leaving Yuichi bloodied but victorious. Shortly afterwards his Zanpakuto returned to its Asauchi state. Having lost a lot of blood, he struggled to stay on his feet as he walked down a now devastated road.

"Yuichi-kun!" several girl voices shouted from behind. Yuichi turned around and saw Karin and Yuzu running towards him. They were followed soon after by Orihime and Tatsuki.

"Karin-san, Yuzu-san, Orihime-san, Tatsuki-san, you're all okay!" Yuichi exclaimed happily. He made an effort to run towards them.

"Did you manage to defeat your opponent?" Karin asked.

"Yeah I did," Yuichi replied. "It took a lot of effort though. It only killed him when I awakened my Shikai."

"Hey that's exactly what we did to win our fights," Orihime said.

"I guess we all managed to learn our Zanpakutos' names," Tatsuki added. Just then, the five students felt an enormous spiritual pressure suddenly descend upon them.

"Look up there!" Yuzu pointed out. High up above Tokyo, the sky burst open again, as numerous gargantas appeared. A mass tide of hollows poured out of the garganta.

"So many hollows...how will we stand a chance against them?" Karin asked.

"There's something else coming out!" Yuichi exclaimed. Three of the gargantas opened up even wider and the five students gasped in utter horror as three Menos Grandes appeared. Two of the menos were skyscraper sized Gillians, but the third was only about three metres tall and was much more humanoid in shape. In addition, the reiatsu coming from this third hollow was beyond anything the students had experienced.

"Two Gillians and an Adjucha," Orihime said. "We're doomed." The presence of the hollows caused most of the Academy students to rush out of the homes to see what was going on. When they saw the veritable horde of hollows above them, mass panic descended. The Adjucha that was leading the assault ordered the two Gillians to charge up ceros, whilst the thousand or so regular hollows descended upon the city. Just as all seemed lost, the voices of several people could be heard.

"Light Regen!" a male voice shouted. A second later a barrage of more than a thousand blue spirit arrows hit every single regular hollow and destroyed them.

"El Directo!" another male voice shouted. A huge blue beam of energy shot out from the ground and blew away the head of one of the Gillians, causing it to disintegrate.

"Some no Mai, Tsukishiro!" a female voice shouted. Moments later a column of snow and ice rose from the ground and completely encased the other Gillian. The column shattered a few seconds later, leaving the Gillian in pieces.

"Getsuga Tensho!" the final male voice shouted, resulting in a gigantic circular arc of spirit energy slamming into the Adjucha, splitting it in half. Astounded at the overwhelming display of power, Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki failed to notice the four people coming towards them.

"You guys did a great job holding out for so long," the Academy headmaster, Kurosaki Ichigo, congratulated the five students. He was accompanied by Rukia, Ishida and Chad.

"Onii-san!!" Karin and Yuzu rushed to hug their big brother.

"Thank you for saving us, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san, Ishida-kun, Sado-kun," Orihime said. "If you hadn't come then, we might have died."

"I still can't believe that all of those hollows were killed so easily," Tatsuki said. "It took all of us ages just to defeat lowly hollows."

"Don't be so down Tatsuki," Rukia smiled. "All of you achieved feats that are far beyond what third year Academy students should normally be capable of."

"We can discuss about each of your fights in detail later, but for now, let's all return to the Tokyo Tower," Ichigo said. "I bet all of you deserve a nice long rest."

With that, the battle for Tokyo city was over. After that day, word of what Yuichi and the others had been up to spread and soon the five students were hailed as heroes of defending the city.

* * *

Notes: As promised at the end of the last chapter, this chapter sees the five main characters reveal their Shikais. I tried my best to give them all Zanpakutos and abilities that fit in with their personalities and made sure that none of Shikais were overpowered.

Ryujin: Tatsuki's shikai. Its name is based on the Japanese god of the sea, but it's also meant to be a pun of Ryu from Street fighter and Jin from Tekken. I wanted Tatsuki to be a purely melee based fighter with martial arts moves, so her Shikai is essentially a gloved fist similar to Jin's from Tekken.

Shun Shun Rikka: Orihime's shikai. As the name suggests, her Zanpakuto takes the form of her original powers, with the shield, the healing barrier and the single ranged attack all present. However, they are much weaker than Orihime's original powers, with her Soten Kesshun being unable to restore catastrophic injuries.

Youseihime: Yuzu's shikai. It means Fairy Princess in Japanese. Yuzu's Zanpakuto resembles a wand from Harry Potter, and it has the ability to cast two spells. The first, Shunzen (repair in Japanese), casts a light that can heal injuries. The second, Shou (destroy in Japanese), fires a beam of energy.

Gozenhoshi: Karin's shikai. It means Morning Star in Japanese. I was initially thinking of calling it Earendil from LOTR, but decided to settle on a Japanese name. Contrary to the name, Karin's Zanpakuto actually takes the form of a soccer ball that she creates with a pair of gloves. She launches it at enemies by kicking it.

Yatagarasu: Yuichi's shikai. Its name is based on the three legged bird of Japanese mythology. The Zanpakuto itself is about the same size as Zangetsu, but with a different shape. It currently doesn't have any special abilities, but Yuichi will develop them over the course of the story.

Vampiro: Howler's resurrecion. Meaning vampire in Spanish, it changes him into a form resembling his original hollow self.


	9. Chapter 9: Return to Karakura High

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: In the beginning of the third year, the students of the Shinigami Academy were moved to Tokyo City, where they began a year long assignment of patrolling the city streets, taking care of wandering plus souls and the occassional hollows. However, things become much more serious when Shibata Yuichi is attacked and bitten by a hollow. With the help of Ichigo, Yuichi suppresses his inner hollow and talks to his Zanpakuto. His friends Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki also experience inner world conversations. A month after Yuichi is attacked, a large group of hollows led by an arrancar invade Tokyo after the city's spiritual defences are temporarily brought down. Yuichi and his friends fight their hardest against these hollows and in the process unlock their Zanpakuto's names and powers. The hollow invasion is finally ended after Ichigo, Rukia, Ishida and Chad come to the rescue.

* * *

Chapter 9: Return to Karakura High

For the remainder of that year there were no other major incidents in Tokyo city. Though occasional hollow attacks still took place the students of the Academy were able to take care of them. The headmaster of the Academy, Kurosaki Ichigo, initiated a full scale investigation into the perpetuators behind the sabotage of the spatial dome but failed to reach any conclusive findings. However, fear of another attack prompted the President of Soul Society and the Commander of the Gotei 13 to order a deployment of Shinigami from several divisions, namely the second, the fourth, the fifth, the eighth and the thirteenth. In total at least five hundred Shinigami patrolled Tokyo at all times in addition to the Academy students.

For Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki, their lives were forever changed by the hollow invasion. The awakening of their Zanpakutos and their defeat of several powerful hollows made them heroes amongst their peers but also caused the teachers of the Academy to put special attention upon them, especially Yuichi, whose inner hollow continued to plague him.

At the end of the third year, the thousand Academy students gathered at the Seireimon and walked through it once it had opened. Upon their arrival in Seireitei they were greeted by the headmaster and the deputy headmaster.

"Welcome back, all of you," Kurosaki Ichigo addressed them on a podium. "I know that the past year has been hard for many of you, but I also know that you would have all grown stronger and gained in experience. Some of you might have already gone beyond the basics of Shinigami combat, which should be commended. Whatever your experience is, I hope this past year has been enjoyable. Now, I am sure that you're all itching to return to your homes and enjoy the holidays, however, because the Academy dormitories have been taken by the new first year students, I've arranged alternative means of accommodation for the people who lived in the dormitories." Ichigo handed the microphone over to Rukia.

"Through collaboration with Shiba Kukaku's conglomerate, the Academy has succeeded in redesigning the old Karakura High School," Rukia started. "Starting next year, this high school will become the place of study for all fourth and fifth years. As for accommodation, a thousand homes in the vicinity have either been built or refurbished and are reserved for every single third year student. In a short while, the teachers of the Academy will hand out slips of paper containing the address of the homes. Once you have received your home, you may pack all of your belongings and head to Karakura Cho using the underground rail network."

As Rukia finished speaking, the fifty Academy teachers, along with the co-ordinators, trawled through the crowd and handed out papers with addresses on them. When Karin and Yuzu received their slips, they were stunned at the address they had been given.

"Hey, isn't this our old house?" Yuzu asked.

"You're right it is..." Karin looked at it closely. "I wonder if Onii-san gave this out on purpose, or maybe it's just random coincidence."

"We got our old homes too!" Orihime exclaimed. She and Tatsuki showed their address papers to Karin and Yuzu.

"What about you Yuichi-kun?" Tatsuki asked. Yuichi showed the girls his address.

"Your house is quite close to ours," Yuzu said.

"Yeah, but it doesn't feel the same as living with the two of you," Yuichi said.

"Don't worry Yuichi-kun, we'll all see each other at school regularly," Orihime declared. The five friends rode the underground metro to Karakura Cho and upon arrival at the central station they dispersed to find their homes. Karin and Yuzu walked down a street that brought back many nostalgic memories. It was the street they had planned in when they were little girls and it was the street where their brother Ichigo gained his Shinigami powers from Rukia.

They arrived in front of their old house and were surprised to see it looking the same as it used to be. The blue sign hanging from the roof of the ground floor was still present, as was the first floor balcony.

"This brings back so many memories," Yuzu sighed.

"Yeah it sure does," Karin agreed. They walked up to the front door, opened the set of keys that were upon the lock, and headed inside. Like the outside, the interior of the house was the same as always, from the kitchen and dining room, to Ichigo's bedroom and finally Karin and Yuzu's bedrooms.

"Onii-san really went to a lot of work to make sure everything stayed the same," Yuzu said. "If I were him I would have made some alterations."

"It doesn't feel the same without him and Ojii-san around though," Karin said. "Just the two of us seems a bit lonely."

Orihime, Tatsuki and Yuichi had also managed to find their homes. Tatsuki received a surprise welcoming reception party from her ecstatic parents, whilst Yuichi happened to find himself sharing a four bedroom house with his Shougi club friends. Orihime however ended up alone, back in the house she lived in prior to Karakura Cho's destruction. When she walked into her bedroom, she found photo frames of her brother still hanging from the wall.

"Onii-san...wherever you are in Soul Society, I hope you're enjoying a happy life," Orihime smiled. She started searching around the kitchen for cooking ingredients.

After the Christmas holidays, the fourth year of the Academy began with all of the students receiving a summons to Karakura High School from the eighth division's labour task force, along with a new set of clothing that resembled real world school uniforms. For the old Karakura High students, the uniforms were all nostalgic reminder of the halcyon days. For the Rukongai residents and especially the nobles that made up the former A wing, the uniforms were a strange and often uncomfortable set of clothes to wear.

Upon arriving at the front entrance of Karakura High School, the fourth year Academy students were directed by nearby teachers to long list of names printed up on poster boards. Due to the reduced class sizes, the students were put into twice as many classes compared to the first and second years. However, most of the former Karakura high students, along with Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi, found themselves in the same class.

"I didn't think we'd all be in the same class again," Orihime said.

"Perhaps someone rigged the classes so that we'd all be together," Tatsuki smiled.

"Orihime-san!" Chizuru called out as she hugged her. "We're going to be in the same class together again."

"Looks like Keigo and I are the same class too," Mizuiro commented.

"This is starting to seem like old Karakura High again!" Keigo exclaimed.

After all of the students had memorised their class numbers, a public service announcement from the co-ordinator of enrolments Minazawa ordered them to attend their first class. For Orihime and Tatsuki and their former classmates, walking down the old corridors of the high school brought back a lot of fond memories. The nostalgia continued when the new class of twenty five arrived at their classroom. The classroom was instantly familiar to all of the old Karakura High students, being the same classroom they shared with Ichigo, Ishida and Chad. When the students all sat down in their seats, a face appeared at the doorway that made Orihime and the others gasp in surprise.

"Hello everyone!"Ms. Ochi, the former teacher of Ichigo's class, greeted the students as she entered. "Welcome to Karakura High School. I'll briefly introduce myself. My name is Ochi Misato, but you can me Ms. Ochi. For the rest of the school year I'll be your form teacher and also teach most of your classes. Before I explain what it is you'll be studying over the course of the year, I'm going to be calling upon the help of a face many of you will be familiar with." A moment later Inari Kasumi, Class B1's old form teacher, appeared at the doorway.

"How are you guys doing?" Kasumi asked.

"We're doing fine, Kasumi-sensei," the students answered back.

"That's good to hear. Many of you might have not noticed but we basically split the old classes in half. I'll still be supervising this class and the other former B1 class with any issues dealing with Shinigami training. Ms. Ochi on the other hand will teach you the academic skills."

"That's right, the headmaster of the Academy has requested me and other former teachers in Karakura Cho to teach you Shinigami recruits how to read, write and gain skills necessary to find a job in the civilian administration," Ms. Ochi said. "After all, outside of military service, there must be some way for you students to earn money." She picked up a big marker and started writing on the whiteboard behind her.

"To start things off, I'm going to be mainly teaching you guys how to speak, write and read modern Japanese, and hopefully English as well. I'll be teaching you how to do simple mathematics and science." For the students such as Karin, Yuzu, Orihime, Tatsuki and the other former high school friends, the prospect of repeating stuff they detested way back in forms nine and ten was a dreadful prospect. Yuichi and other Rukongai students however, were intrigued by such concepts.

"I would like to remind all of you the most basic rule of this high school," Kasumi-sensei added. "There is to be no violence in the classroom or in the corridors, and possessions of wooden bokutos, let alone Asauchis, are strictly forbidden. This is not a school of military combat like the first two years of the Academy were. This is a place for academic study. If you want to practice your combat skills, there are special workshops around the campus that are available." After the first class was finished, the students were surprised to learn of their next lesson: physical education. The forms were called out onto the athletics track according to the old dormitory wings, with B wing going second.

When Karin, Yuzu and Orihime's class arrived at the athletics track, they were greeted by a face that that Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro knew and feared.

"Oh my god isn't that Kagine-san?" Keigo whispered to Mizuiro.

"Silence!" the muscular physical education teacher who sported sideburns and a big moustache shouted at Keigo. "There is to be no idle chatter when I am around! I can see some faces that definitely have seen be before, but for those who don't know me, I am know as Kagine-sensei. For the course of this year I will beat you maggots into physical shape. You may have gotten away with cheap magical tricks so far, but that doesn't count for nothing unless your bodies are as robustly built as me! Now, give me ten laps of the oval start!!"

Before the class invariably complained, they were forced to run around the athletics track at a brisk pace. Some of the class such as Karin, Tatsuki, Ryo and Yuichi hardly felt tired, but others such as Orihime, Yuzu, Keigo and Chizuru were exhausted by the time they ran two times around. However, by the time everyone finished the ten laps, even the fittest students were panting and sweating their socks off.

"You maggots are pathetic!" Kagine-sense yelled at them. "Can't even run ten laps of the track without losing your breath. How are you going to run long distances if you don't have the stamina?" With that, the teacher made the class do a gruelling series of stretches and muscle exercises. Not even people like Tatsuki, who had such exercises in karate, could cope with the sheer load of stretches and by the time the class ended and lunch began everyone's bodies were sore all over.

Over the next month, the students of the Academy adjusted to the regular schedule of language, mathematics and science classes followed by intense physical workout sessions. In between the classes and lunch breaks, the fourth year students still received training in Shinigami combat and etiquette. The school rule forbidding violence in classrooms and in the corridors was largely upheld until an incident occurred five weeks after the school year began.

On that day, Yuichi had finished getting food from the school canteen and had sat down to eat. Karin and Yuzu were attending additional football and ballet lessons so for the time being he had to eat by himself. Halfway into his meal he noticed a disturbance going on near the left side entrance to the dining room. Looking up, he saw one of his Shougi club friends, a boy by the name of Yaji being slapped on the head by Paris and his cronies. He hastily finished his meal, and without making a scene, Yuichi quietly walked over to the entrance way and confronted Paris.

"Hey, what are you doing to my friend?" he asked Paris. Paris, whose hand was still on Yuichi's friend's head, turned around.

"You again," Paris said. "So you've come to the aid of your friend eh? I don't see why you should stand up for a loser like him." He released his grip on Yagi and flung him away.

"He won't always be a loser," Yuichi said, trying to contain his inner rage. "Someday, he might discover his inner potential and do something extraordinary. I was once a loser like him, so I know how it feels to be bullied by you cowards." When Yuichi said this, Paris and his cronies burst out laughing.

"You're one to talk," he pointed his finger at Yuichi. "As far as I'm concerned, you're still a loser compared to the likes of me. Beating that arrancar in Tokyo city? Heck I could have done that much more easily. After all, I do have unlocked my Shikai. You're just lucky you have a lot of spirit energy and received special help from the headmaster. Speaking of that help, I heard you got bitten by a hollow and had to get medical treatment. I'm surprised you didn't become a hollow yourself!" Paris burst out laughing again, but this time the rage inside Yuichi was far too much for him to contain. He grabbed Paris' right arm and squeezed it hard.

"Do you want me to show you what really happened to me?" Yuichi asked. As he said those words he flared up his reiatsu to a point where it influenced every other student in the dining room. The spiritual pressure was menacing enough to cause Paris and his cronies to back down and flee down the corridor. Yuichi continued to release his spiritual pressure and after a while some of the weaker students began to sick from the pressure he was exerting upon them.

"Shibata!!" a female voice shouted from behind. Yuichi turned around and saw Kasumi-sensei staring at him with a very angry expression on your face.

"Kasumi-sensei..." Yuichi stuttered. He hastily lowered his reiatsu."

"The headmaster wants to see you right now," Kasumi-sense scolded him. Fearing that he was going to get suspended or worse, Yuichi followed his teacher along the corridors to the headmaster's office shaking in his boots all the way. _Why did I have to go and lose my cool like that?_ Yuichi thought to himself. He arrived outside the office. Kasumi-sense knocked on the door.

"Come in," Kurosaki Ichigo's voice answered from the other side. Kasumi-sensei opened the door, allowing Yuichi to enter. Headmaster Kurosaki was sitting behind his desk.

"Welcome Yuichi-kun," Ichigo greeted him. "Please sit down. You may leave us Kasumi." Kasumi shut the door behind her as she left. Yuichi sat down on the seat directly in front of Ichigo, but tried his hardest not to look at him.

"Why are you shying your head away?" Ichigo asked. "Are you afraid that you got into trouble and now I'm going to suspend or expel you from the Academy?" Yuichi nodded. This made Ichigo chuckle slightly.

"Relax I'm not going to impose any punishment on you for that incident. I've already spoken to your nakama Yaji and he told me that it was Laodemon Paris who started it. You were justified in standing up for him. However I do need to reprimand you for your reaction to Paris' taunts. There were a few teachers standing guard near the canteen. You could have gone and notified them. Instead you released your spiritual pressure against Paris and in the process risked asphyxiating nearby students."

"I'm sorry," Yuichi bowed his head in shame.

"I'm really disappointed that you've forgotten the advice I gave you at the end of last year, Yuichi-kun," Ichigo shook his head and sighed. "You have an incredible amount of spirit energy inside of you; however, just like I was when I became a Shinigami, you can't control it very well. If you release too much of your reiatsu, it can have a harmful effect on nearby bystanders. I know you've improved leaps and bounds since our first training session together, but I've heard from Kasumi that your still struggle to cast Kidou spells with precision."

"Yeah I always keep on making them too powerful," Yuichi said.

"Which is why I have assigned Kenichi-sensei to give you private Kidou lessons after class," Ichigo said. "These will mainly focus on controlling your reiatsu down to a point where you can release it at will without it going out of control." Yuichi accepted the headmaster's orders without any complaint; he knew he needed to improve his reiatsu control.

"Oh yes and another thing has your inner hollow surfaced recently?" Ichigo asked.

"It hasn't headmaster," Yuichi replied. "I've focused mainly on improving my Shikai."

"That's good to hear. For the time being, refrain from using your hollow abilities as they're still highly unstable. The less you use your powers, the less chance your inner hollow will resurface."

"I understand headmaster," Yuichi nodded. "From now on I'll tell the teacher whenever there is trouble and I'll practice my Kidou more."

"That's the spirit," Ichigo winked at him. He allowed Yuichi to leave his office, not before giving him a small figurine of a crow. Yuichi thanked the headmaster for his generosity as he returned to the form room.

When Karin and Yuzu returned from their football and ballet training, Yuichi told them what happened. The twins sisters were surprised that he been to see Ichigo.

"Did you get into trouble?" Yuzu asked him.

"Sort of," Yuichi admitted. "I saw my friend Yaji getting bullied by Paris so I went to help him. Paris taunted me about my inner hollow, after which I exerted too much spiritual pressure and ended up getting scolded by Kasumi-sensei."

"That fiend!" Karin said in outrage when she heard Paris' names. "You should have punched him in the face for hurting Yaji and talking about your inner hollow!"  
"That would only make things worse Karin," Yuzu scolded her sister. "Anyhow you did a good job at protecting Yaji-kun. Those noble jerks think they can still have their way here."

"The headmaster told to not worry about them. The teachers will keep Paris and his buddies in line. He recommended that I practice doing more Kido, for that would make me control my reiatsu better," Yuichi said.

"That kind of makes sense," Karin said. "You always make your spells ridiculously large. It's a miracle that you've never hurt anyone in all these years."

"At least you're not as bad as Tatsuki-san," Yuzu added. "She still can't do level 10 or below Kidou." Karin and Yuichi chuckled for a bit.

"That's true, I am improving a lot," Yuichi said.

A few days later, the Shinigami Girls Association, its members having greatly increased in numbers over the years, met at a function centre outside the school grounds on a Saturday. Chizuru was still the president, with Michiru being the vice president and Ryo the treasurer. Orihime and Tatsuki were senior members, whilst Karin and Yuzu had joined the group in the second year, but only occasionally attended meetings.

"Alright everyone!" Chizuru banged on a pedestal with her hammer. "It's time we discuss our strategies for the upcoming student council elections. Paris and his goons got the better of us last year since we were all distracted by work commitments, but this year there's way we're going to let them win the elections again!" The other girls in the room clapped and nodded enthusiastically.

"Kunieda-san, what is the state of our current finances?" Chizuru asked.

"Um, we earned one thousand, two hundred and fifty three credits from donations, another six hundred and seventy six dollars from fundraising fairs and work and one hundred and twenty dollars from member contributions," Ryo read off a chart she was holding in her hands. "However, we spent roughly a thousand credits on advertisements, parties and equipment during the previous year, leaving us with just over one thousand one hundred credits to use for this year's election campaign."

"Thank you for the numbers Kunieda-san. Now, since we spent all of last year in Tokyo city, we haven't had a chance to contact the new students who have moved into the old Academy campus. We need a few volunteers to head over to the Academy grounds on weekends and convince the girls there to join our association, and to vote for us in the elections of course. Who is up for the task?" A couple of girls, mostly from the C and D wings, shot up their hands for the roles. As they had generally been late joiners to the association, it was understandable that they would jump at the chance to prove their worth.

"Okay, you, you and you shall be chosen for the task," Chizuru said. "Now, another matter we need to attend to is coming up with new promotional posters to get people to vote for us. Orihime, do you and Tatsuki have some ideas that we can use?"

"We do Chizuru," Tatsuki handed her a pile of papers with concept drawings. Chizuru looked at each one carefully and gave her approval. The final concept drawing freaked her out however.

"Eww, what is this?" Chizuru asked in disgust. "Who drew this picture?"

"I did, Chizuru-san," Orihime confessed. "I thought it was a good idea at a time but perhaps it doesn't seem that great now."

"Well, the art is pretty good, but we can't go around promoting stuff like that," Chizuru said. "The rest are fine though." Chizuru then looked at Michiru. "Michiru-chan, can you hand out the letters to everyone?"

"Sure thing," Michiru nodded. She got up from her chair, grabbed a bag of letters and started to go around the room giving letters to everyone. Most of the letters were from the Academy administration or relatives and friends.

"Here you go Orihime-san," Michiru handed her a letter.

"Ooh, I wonder what this is for," Orihime said eagerly. Tatsuki looked on as Orihime opened the envelope and got out a slip of paper. When Orihime read the letter however, she froze in complete shock. The words on the paper jumped out at her like a terrifying nightmare.

"This...can't be...possible," Orihime stuttered.

"What is it Orihime?" Tatsuki asked.

"Someone has kidnapped my brother Sora. Unless I go to the place listed in this message there is chance he might be killed." Tatsuki was just as stunned as Orihime was. She couldn't believe a group of people would go to such lengths.

* * *

Notes: Yes another time skip and another change in scenery. The Tokyo setting was pretty much exhausted at the end of the last chapter, and just showing the main characters patrolling the streets wouldn't be that interesting. The move to Karakura High school is a chance to develop some of the other characters such as Orihime, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro more. For the first 8 chapters, the focus was mainly on Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi, and by now each of them has had their stories fleshed out. This chapter also sees the return of several minor characters who appeared in the early part of the Bleach manga and were never seen again, or showed up in brief cameos. Ms. Ochi and Kagine are simply replacement teachers. Sora on the other hand, will have a significant role in the upcoming chapters.


	10. Chapter 10: The Search for Sora

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: After defending Tokyo city from a hollow invasion and becoming heroes in the eyes of their peers, Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki complete their third year and return to Soul Society. The beginning of the fourth year brings new surprises for the Academy students, as they are shifted to the refurbished Karakura High School, where they will study an academic based curriculum. For the former Karakura students, the high school routine is second nature, but others have difficulty adjusting to the environment. Yuichi gets himself into trouble when iin defending a Shougi club friend from Laodemon Paris he inadvertently flexes his spiritual pressure at other students, resulting in a chat by his headmaster Kurosaki Ichigo. Sometime later, Orihime receives a shocking letter during a Shinigami girl's association meeting...

* * *

Chapter 10: The Search for Sora

Later that afternoon Orihime and Tatsuki met with Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi to discuss the letter that Orihime had received. They gathered at a small coffee shop in the market district of Karakura Cho once school was finished for the day.

"So someone has kidnapped your brother?" Karin asked. Orihime nodded.

"And they're keeping him as a hostage to force you to come to them?" Yuzu asked.

"It's hard to tell if the letter is fake or not," Tatsuki said. "There's no name on it."

"What sort of person was your brother Orihime-san?" Yuichi asked.

"Well, it's a bit hard to explain," Orihime replied. "My memories of him are getting hazier now, and stuff I would have remembered a few years ago has been lost. But the most important stuff is still clear in my mind. Onii-chan was a kind and gentle man, yet whenever I saw in alone I noticed how lonely he was. In some ways, I was the only person he ever loved or admired. I can't remember my human parents very well, but I do recall that they abused Onii-can and I a lot. When I was three, Onii-chan took me away from our parents and from then on it was just the two of us. At the time he was on the verge of going to college, but he sacrificed his career in order to care for me. He would work long hours and often during the night time just to make enough money to support me and when I was old enough to attend school he paid for all of my tuition fees. In a way, he was like my father."

"What happened to him then?" Yuichi asked. "If your memories of him are hazy then that would mean he died a long time ago." Orihime nodded. Karin, Yuzu and Tatsuki all knew the events surrounding his death but they still listened to Orihime's recollection."

"Let's see...Onii-chan died three years before Kurosaki-kun became a Shinigami, which would make it twelve years ago. Gosh it really has been a long time since he died," Orihime sighed. "I can still recall the moments leading up to his death. Onii-chan was taking me home from school in his car when we were tailgated by two black cars. There were men inside those cars and one of them lowered a window and fired gunshots at our window. Onii-chan tried his hardest to evade them but they cornered him down a small street. He ended crashing the car against a telephone pole. We managed to survive the crash, but then a bunch of men armed with guns stepped out of their cars and walked up to us. In his last moments Onii-chan ordered me to hide under the seat. Those men then shot him several times in the stomach before leaving. A few passersby who witnessed it called the ambulance. The medics rushed him to Kurosaki-kun's place, where his father tried to revive him, but Onii-chan died soon after."

After Orihime finished her recount of her brother's life and death, the entire room fell silent for a few minutes.

"So um, what happened to your brother after he died?" Karin asked. "I heard Onii-san mention something about saving your life from a hollow but we never saw the details."

"I must admit I didn't see the entire incident either," Tatsuki said. "At the time I couldn't see spirits, and I only briefly saw the figure of Rukia before I fainted." Orihime hesitated for a brief moment before she continued.

"After Onii-chan passed away, I continued to pay my respects to the shrine I made for him in our house. Every day I would visit the shrine and tell him stories about school," Orihime said. "I didn't know at the time, but Onii-chan was actually watching over me as a spirit, and seeing me still caring about made him happy. But when I entered high school, I stopped paying my respects regularly because I didn't want him to worry about me. I had no idea that my actions would cause him so much grief that he went into a state of despair. He became a hollow and attacked me and Tatsuki-chan one night. He forced my soul out of my body and tried to eat me, but when Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san intervened, I was able to convince Onii-chan that I still cared for him deeply, and that I only wanted him to not feel sad about me. He regained his sanity and after thanking me from the bottom of his heart he allowed Kurosaki-kun to perform Konso on him." Orihime paused for a moment before finishing up. "Since we moved here to Karakura Cho I've been thinking about him, hoping that he's having a good time."

"Wait a minute," Yuichi said. "You said headmaster Kurosaki sent your brother to Soul Society right? Then wouldn't he or the other Shinigami know his whereabouts? When the headmaster performed Konso on me, I was sent to the first district of Nishi Rukongai. I encountered other souls from Karakura Cho who had apparently been sent to there by the headmaster."

"That's an interesting theory Yuichi-kun," Karin said. "The asauchis we use have their Konso seals linked to the eighth division's sorting house. If we can find where Onii-san sent your brother Orihime, we might be able to track down his whereabouts and confirm whether the message you received is a hoax or not."

"Shall we go and tell Ichigo right now?" Tatsuki asked. Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi and Orihime all nodded in agreement.

* * *

The next day the five of them walked up to the headmaster's office in Karakura High School and knocked on the door. The knock was answered by the deputy headmaster Kuchiki Rukia.

"Good morning Kuchiki-san!" the students all greeted her.

"Good morning to you all," Rukia smiled back. "Is there anything you wish to ask me about?"

"We want to speak to the headmaster and you about an important matter," Yuichi said.

"It's kind of urgent," Yuzu added.

"Um, just wait a moment, I'll see if Ichigo is available," Rukia said.

"Don't worry about it Rukia, let them in," Ichigo called out. Rukia motioned the five students to enter the office. They sat down on a set of chairs around the main desk, facing Ichigo.

"Now then, what is it you want to speak to me about?" Ichigo asked. The others looked at Orihime, who reached into her shirt pockets and showed Ichigo the letter she had been given. Ichigo read the letter carefully, and as he finished reading it, he frowned noticeably.

"I see; this is a rather serious matter. When did you get the letter Inoue?" Ichigo asked.

"Um, I got it two days ago during a meeting with the Shinigami Girl's Association," Orihime replied. "Michiru handed me the letter."

"To be honest the writing in this letter looks genuine, but I can't who wrote it," Ichigo admitted. "It could just be a fake blackmail message that is meant to lure all of you into a trap. I wouldn't recommend following the instructions given."

"But how do we know if the message is fake if we don't know where Orihime's brother lives?" Tatsuki said. "If we knew where he lived we could head there and confirm if he has been kidnapped or not."

"So you want me find his address? Well, I'm sorry to say I can't do that," Ichigo shook his head. "The eighth division is the department that specialises in the cataloguing of addresses and contract details of Rukongai citizens."

"Even then, the records are far from complete," Rukia added. "Outside of Karakura Cho, only a few districts have been properly surveyed."

"But surely you must know where you sent Orihime-san's brother after performing Konso on him," Yuichi said. Ichigo looked at Rukia, who shrugged her shoulders.

"I have no idea where Sora went after I performed Konso on him. Unlike the standard Academy asauchis, the Konso seals on most Shinigami Zanpakutos are not assigned to any particular district or location. It would be lucky for family members to find each other unless they were sent together. If you're really desperate to know where Sora lives you can ask the eighth division and see if they have his address."

"Alright, we'll go and speak to the eighth division," Orihime sighed.

"We're sorry that we couldn't provide all of you with better assistance," Rukia apologised. The five students left the headmaster's office with a feeling of disappointment. With no other option, they headed over to the eighth division's administrative headquarters in Karakura Cho's city centre. Upon arriving entering the main office building, they inquired at the front counter.

"Excuse me; may we see the eighth division captain?" Orihime asked the receptionist lady who was sitting beside a computer screen.

"Captain Abarai is in a meeting right now and is unavailable," the lady replied. "However I can help you with your inquiries. Is there a person you wish you find?"

"As a matter of fact we do," Orihime said. "I have a brother called Inoue Sora. He was sent to Rukongai around about nine years ago. Here's a picture of what he looks like." Orihime handed the lady one of the few photos she managed to keep of her brother. The lady took a good look of the photo.

"Hmm, I believe there is a person matching the appearance in our records. Please wait here for one moment," she said. The lady disappeared through a door. She came back a few minutes later carrying a large binder. She opened up the binder and started flicking through it. Orihime and the others looked on as the lady arrived at the 'I' section of the binder and flicked through the pages at a slower pace.

"Aha, found him!" the lady exclaimed. "Inoue Sora, he was sent to Rukongai nine years ago. The records here indicate he resides in district fifty four of Eastern Rukongai." When she heard the name of the district, Orihime looked at the letter in her hands again. It was the exact same address.

"I don't believe it," Orihime said with a glum face. "These people got his address right."

"There's a still a chance that the letter could be a threat," Karin said. "They might not have actually kidnapped him."

"Is there any way we can get to district 54 in Eastern Rukongai through the underground metro?" Tatsuki asked the lady.

"As a matter of fact you can. That district was connected to metro line seven leading out from the capital of Eastern Rukongai just a month ago. However, we currently do not have records of house and street addresses," the lady replied.

"What, no street addresses? Then how are we going to find his house?" Yuichi asked. "I'm sorry I can't provide anymore help," the lady apologised. Orihime and the others left the eighth division's administrative building without having received much information.

"I don't know what to do now," Orihime sighed. "I desperately want to know if Onii-chan's alright, but I'm afraid to travel all the way to Eastern Rukongai."

"Don't worry Orihime-san," Yuzu said. "If you really want to search for your brother then we'll accompany you all the way."

"How about we wait until the first term exams are over before we make any moves?" Tatsuki asked. "That way we won't miss any classes and our teachers and relatives won't become worried about us."

"Sounds like a good idea," the others nodded. Over the next two weeks Orihime and the others tried hard to focus on their studies and not think about Orihime's brother. The first term exams were held over four days and covered every single subject. For Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki and Orihime, the exams were similar in format to the ones they had experienced in the real world. Naturally enough they breezed through it without a sweat. Yuichi however struggled to adjust to the examination conditions and at one point came close to having his exam disqualified. He still managed to pull through strongly. When the results were released on the last day of the term, the five students were amongst the top of their class in academic performance.

"Looks like we all did really well in our exams," Karin said.

"Much better than I would have expected," Tatsuki added. The five of them compared their scores with each other.

"Wow Orihime-san you have the second highest score in our class," Yuzu said.

"Orihime has always been good academically," Tatsuki said. "Only Kunieda Ryo got better grades than her." Orihime giggled slightly.

"I don't think I performed very well," Yuichi said. He got the lowest grades in the group.

"What are you talking about? Your scores might be lower than the rest of us but you're still in the top ten percent of the class," Karin said.

"That's right, you didn't do as badly as Keigo and Mizuiro did," Tatsuki added.

"That's true," Yuichi nodded. "There's plenty I can improve on in the future." The five friends said goodbye to each other at the front entrance of Karakura High School before heading for their homes.

When Orihime arrived at her apartment, she noticed something was amiss. The front gate was slightly ajar, even though she had shut it tightly before she left for school in the morning. When she checked the front door to the apartment, she was surprised to discover that it too had been unlocked. She opened the door and slowly crept inside. She thoroughly checked the lounge room, the dining room, the kitchen and her bedroom for anything suspicious. After an hour's worth of searching, she found that no objects had been tampered with. However when she searched through the pile of papers on her bedroom desk she found a slip of paper she didn't recognise. When she opened up the folded slip of paper, she saw handwriting similar to the one that appeared on the letter about brother. She read the message that had been written.

"'We have your brother in our possession. He is currently being subjected to interrogation. If you want to see him alive, come to the address at the bottom within five days or else he will be killed.'" Orihime read out the message. She then looked at the small photo at the bottom of the slip of paper. It showed a blurry but still noticeable figure of her brother, looking gaunt and dejected and with numerous scars on his body.

Without a second thought, Orihime put down the slip of paper and grabbed her pager phone. She dialled Tatsuki's phone number and waited for a response.

"Good afternoon," a middle-aged woman answered. "Who is calling?"

"It's me Orihime. I want to speak with Tatsuki-chan," Orihime replied.

"Orihime-chan, it's nice to hear your voice again," Tatsuki's mother said. "I'll call Tatsuki right away." The line at the other end went silent for a dozen or so seconds before someone else picked it up.

"Tatsuki here," Orihime heard Tatsuki's voice.

"Hello, is that you Tatsuki? I've made up my mind. I'm going to search for my brother starting from tomorrow," Orihime said.

"Are you sure about that? What brought about this sudden change?" Tatsuki asked.

"I received another message about my brother. I think it's from the same person who wrote the first letter. He's threatening to kill Onii-chan if I don't go the specified address within five days."

"Geez only five days? That's not a lot of time," Tatsuki sighed. "Alright then, I'll call the others and tell them to get ready to leave tomorrow. Just tell the place we'll be meeting at."

"I think under the clock tower in the market square might be a good place to meet at."

"The clock tower in the market square? Got it. I'll phone the others right away." Orihime ended the phone call. With a resolute determination, she set about packing her belongings for the journey.

* * *

Early next morning, Orihime grabbed her Zanpakuto, a bag with clothes, food and other essential items and Shunpo-ed across Karakura Cho until she reached the market square. Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi and Tatsuki were already there.

"Sorry I'm late," Orihime apologized.

"Don't worry about it. We just got here," Tatsuki said.

"Yuzu and I got some metro tickets off our dad so there's no need to fork out any money," Karin said. She handed each of them a five day travel pass to all three hundred and twenty districts.

"Do your father and brother know about this?" Yuichi asked.

"We just told them we were going on a camping trip," Yuzu said.

"A camping trip huh. That's a better excuse than I what I told my parents," Tatsuki said.

"I think we'd better head off now," Orihime said. The others all nodded. They followed Orihime to the nearest underground metro station.

Unbeknownst to them, their conversation had been observed by two sneaky individuals.

"Would you look at that Mizuiro, they're going to the far eastern Rukongai," Keigo said, peering up from a crate he had been hiding behind.

"I think Orihime-san said something about looking for her brother," Mizuiro added.

"Who cares what they're after? Let's just follow them. I bet we'll encounter a lot of exciting stuff if we tag alone," Keigo grinned. He and Mizuiro snuck out from the crates and headed followed Orihime and the others down to the underground metro.

* * *

Notes: Sorry for the long delay between updates. I was on a holiday to the snow for four days, plus I was having trouble writing this chapter. I decided to make this chapter quite short as nothing much happens other than Orihime and her friends finally deciding to search for Sora.


	11. Chapter 11: A Caged Princess

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: With the start of the fourth year, the students of the Shinigami Academy began studying at the refurbished Karakura High School, learning an academic curriculum. When Orihime receives a message from an anonymous source however, things quickly take turn for the worse. Finding out that her brother Sora has been kidnapped, Orihime and her friends approach the headmaster Kurosaki Ichigo and then the eighth division office to find out his address. Left with no choice but to search for him, the five students, with Keigo and Mizuiro tagging along, set out on a journey across Rukongai...

* * *

Chapter 11: A Caged Princess

The bullet train screeched as it came to a halt at the platform. When it stopped completely, the automatic doors slid open and a group of young people walked out. Orihime, Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi and Tatsuki headed up the flight of stairs to the surface, looking at the surroundings as they did so. It had been a long, mostly uneventful trip from Karakura Cho's central station to district 54 of East Rukongai, broken up by only two stops to change lines. As they reached the outside, they saw that it was already night time.

"How long did our trip take?" Yuzu asked. "My arms and legs are sore."

"There's no time to waste. I have to find Onii-chan as soon as possible," Orihime said with determination.

"We can't start searching for your brother now, Orihime," Tatsuki said. "It's getting late and in this place there's no telling who we might bump into."

"Tatsuki's right. Let's go look for a place to stay," Karin added.

"Maybe we don't have to look," Yuichi said. He pointed to a sign nearby of a hot springs hotel. "Doesn't that have the same address as the one listed in the letter?" Orihime checked the address on the letter again.

"You're right it's the same one," she said. "Something doesn't sound right."

"Can't we think about it later? I just want to find somewhere to rest now," Yuzu whined. The five of them headed off down a dusty road in search for the hotel. A few seconds later, Keigo and Mizuiro, who had been hiding beside a lamp post, quietly tip-toed after the group.

"Did you hear that? They're going to stay at a hot springs hotel," Keigo whispered.

"Shh! They could hear us," Mizuiro whispered back.

After about an hours' worth of searching, Orihime's group finally stumbled upon the address. A large gaudy sign saying 'Tanabata Hot Springs Hotel' hung over the entrance of slightly antique yet stylish looking timber building.

"So this is the place," Orihime said.

"It looks a bit run down, don't you reckon?" Tatsuki asked. They walked through the entrance and inquired at the reception desk.

"Good evening madams-and eh, gentlemen," a middle-aged man with a short cropped moustache and neatly shaven black hair greeted them. "Are you interested in accommodation?"

"As a matter of fact we are," Karin said. "Have you got five spare rooms?"

"You're just in luck! We have four single bed rooms and one triple bed room that were vacated yesterday. The accommodation fee is a hundred credits a night."

"A hundred credits? That's quite a cheap rate," Yuzu said. "It costs six to seven hundred credits for a room in the Karakura Cho hotels."

"Ah yes, but those hotels charge premium prices," the man grinned. "Plus we also offer the use of the communal hot springs free of charge."

"Hot springs of charge? That sounds a bit fishy," Yuichi said.

"What are you talking about? It's a great deal!" Orihime exclaimed. "We'll take it!" She and the others jotted down their account details with the receptionist who then proceeded to scan their phones to confirm the transactions. He handed them the keys to their rooms. The five students walked down the hallway and up a flight of stairs to the second floor before arriving at the five rooms. As they unlocked the doors and went inside, they found the rooms to be slightly cramped but still neat and tidy, with a definite sense of homeliness. Furthermore, each of the rooms overlooked the large outdoor natural hot spring.

"I so want to take a dip in there," Yuzu said as they met outside in the corridor.

"Save it for tomorrow night Yuzu. We've got to wake up early tomorrow," Karin reminded her. Yuzu whined and complained but in the end accepted the fact that they were all too tired to indulge in any activities. With Yuichi choosing the three bed room, the five of them went to sleep.

The receptionist who had greeted them downstairs was still awake however. As the lights in the hotel went out, he snuck out through a back door and pulled out a private cell phone.

"Hello? It's me," he said. "I have the kids. They are sleeping inside the rooms I specifically reserved."

"_Is the girl with them?"_ a voice asked on the other end of the phone.

"She is. Do you want me to bring her over right away?"

"_No. Leave her be tonight. It's better if we don't attract too much suspicion."_

"Very well then. What about her friends once she is in your hands?"

"_Feed them information that will lead them to her. We can use them as hostages to draw out the main bait._"

"Oho, I see what you mean. I shall do as you command." The receptionist hung up on the phone and went back inside the hotel, his face all giddy with excitement.

* * *

At this moment, another person was still awake in the headquarters of the fifth division, deep inside Seireitei.

"What did you say? They've gone missing?" the fifth division captain and headmaster of the Academy Kurosaki Ichigo asked on a direct message phone. "I thought they went back to the house old man! What did you mean you let them go?!" He slammed the phone down in frustration.

"What's happened Ichigo?" Rukia asked as she walked in the door.

"Karin and Yuzu have disappeared," Ichigo said. "My father apparently handed them some tickets to the eastern Rukongai metro line."

"The eastern Rukongai metro line? Why would they need to go there?"

"I'm not sure. According to my father, Karin and Yuzu said they were going to look for someone," Ichigo said. A thought suddenly flashed through his head. "Oh shit, why didn't I think of this sooner?" He slammed his fist on his desk. "They must have gone off to look for Orihime's brother."

"Maybe we shouldn't have directed them to Renji's department," Rukia said.

"It's too late to ponder our mistakes now," Ichigo sighed. Just then, the door to their office opened and Minazawa appeared, panting heavily.

"Captain, I received a phone call from the Arisawa family," Minazawa said. "They rang up to inform me that their daughter and Inoue Orihime have gone missing!"

"If they've all gone, then Shibata Yuichi must have gone too," Ichigo said.

"What shall we do now Ichigo?" Rukia asked. "I can't help thinking that the letter was bait to lure them into a trap.'

"I'm thinking the same way," Ichigo got up from his desk and grabbed his haori. "Rukia, can you take care of the Academy and the barracks for a short while?"

"You're not going after them are you?"

"What choice do I have? I don't want to involve the other divisions in this matter."

"I understand. Please come back with them all safe and sound," Rukia said.

"I will," Ichigo nodded.

* * *

Orihime and the others woke up early next morning and ate a hasty breakfast before heading out of the hotel. They decided to split up and search through the district town for any information on Sora's whereabouts. After three hours of searching the five of them met up at a local restaurant and ate ramen with onigiri. When lunch was finished they continued their search, approaching as many people they could find and asking them about Sora.

As the sun went down however, the five friends returned to the Tanabata Hot Springs Hotel empty handed.

"Did any of you have any luck?" Orihime asked. Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi and Tatsuki all shook their heads.

"I spoke to a green grocer who said he recalled a guy matching Sora's description having worked for him a few years back," Karin said. "But he hasn't seen him recently."

"I encountered a woman who reportedly saw Sora living in the hot springs hotel but she hasn't seen him recently either," Tatsuki added.

"If he's not here then where have those kidnappers taken him?" Orihime shook her hands in frustration.

"Maybe we should have a dip in the hot springs," Yuzu suggested. "We've searched all day and our clothes are all covered with dust." Though Orihime still wanted to continue the search, the others agreed with Yuzu's suggestion. The five of them headed back to their rooms. When Yuichi opened the door to his room and entered, he fell down in shock when he saw Keigo and Mizuiro sleeping on two of the beds.

"What the hell? How did you two get into this room?" Yuichi asked.

"We snuck in through the balcony window," Mizuiro replied.

"You won't believe how much suffering Mizuiro and I had to endure," Keigo moaned. "Because we didn't bring any money we had to sleep in a rubbish bin!"

"Then you can go sleep in a bin again. I'm not letting you two leeches sleep here for free," Yuichi declared.

"Oh come on how can you be so cruel to your nakama?" Keigo went onto his knees and begged at Yuichi's feet."

"You're not exactly my nakama you know," Yuichi sighed.

"Hey, the girls are already heading out to the hot springs," Mizuiro said. In instant Keigo rushed out to the balcony and peered down. His eyes gawked when he saw Orihime, Tatsuki, Karin and Yuzu wearing nothing but towels.

"Oh my god this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We've got to go down there and peek on them!" Keigo declared. Mizuiro wholeheartedly agreed but Yuichi hesitated.

"I'll go with you two, but only to take a bath in the hot springs. If you want to peak on the girls, then go ahead. If you get yourselves killed, it's not my fault," he said. As the guys hastily undressed themselves, the girl had already taken off their towels and descended into the soothing waters of the hot springs.

"Ah the water is so nice!!" Yuzu exclaimed. She and the others used their towels to clean themselves. As they enjoyed the constantly bubbling water and the steam that rose from the surface the four girls started glancing at each other's chests.

"Hey Karin-chan I never noticed how big your breasts were," Orihime said. Karin's face turned bright red and she reflexively tried to cover her chest.

"Don't compare mine with yours," she said to Orihime. "I don't have oversized jugs."

"Well it's true that mine are bigger than most other girls," Orihime said.

"Karin's breasts are roughly the same size as Yuzu's," Tatsuki said. Her comment made both Karin and Yuzu blush in embarrassment.

"What about you Tatsuki-san? I can hardly see your cleavage," Yuzu said.

"Um, I've always had small breasts so it's natural that you can't see them," Tatsuki faked a laugh. As the girls continued to talk about breast sizes, their antics were being observed by Keigo, Mizuiro and Yuichi, who had all gotten into the hot springs.

"Can you believe this Mizuiro? Four gorgeous naked girls, three of them with massive boobs, all for the taking," Keigo grinned.

"Eh, I'm mostly interested in older women Keigo," Mizuiro reminded him. "Besides why are you suddenly interested in Orihime and Tatsuki anyway?"

"Shut up! This is the first opportunity since I came to this stinking place to ogle at hot naked girls and you're not going to deny me the chance to do so!" Keigo shouted. As Mizuiro and Yuichi watched on, Keigo crept towards the girls, trying to keep himself from being detected. Drool flowed down Keigo's mouth when he saw them touch each other's breasts. _Oh my, I'm in heaven_, he thought. Just as he was about to get within a foot of Orihime, Karin, Yuzu and Tatsuki, his foot slipped against a rock. The girls instantly shot their eyes at Keigo, who was caught in a compromising position.

"What do you think you're doing Keigo?" Tatsuki asked, grinding her knuckles in anger.

"Uh, nothing, just enjoying the hot spring!" Keigo lied.

"Is that so? Then how come you're so close to us?" Karin asked. She and Tatsuki approached Keigo, who tried to back away. He ended up against a rock formation with nowhere to run. With Orihime and Yuzu joining in, the girls pounded Keigo until his was barely recognisable.

"Kill me Mizuiro...I don't want to live anymore," Keigo moaned. Mizuiro and Yuichi couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune. After two hours in the hot springs, everyone decided it was time for bed. The girls went to their individual rooms whilst Yuichi, Keigo and Mizuiro squeezed into the three bed room.

Unbeknownst to the Academy students, a few people were still wide awake. In the early hours of the morning, a pair of masked men dressed in black clothes tip-toed up the stairs before stopping in front of a door.

"Do you have the key?" one of the men whispered. The other man produced a spare master key and gave it to the first man, who inserted it into the door and opened it. The pair slowly entered the room but one of the men accidentally bumped against the bed.

"Shh! You might wake her up!" the first man barked at his companion.

"Sorry," the second man whispered. The pair stood beside the figure of Inoue Orihime, who was sound asleep. Just to be on the safe side, the first man pulled out a syringe and injected administered an anaesthetic that would keep her unconscious.

"We've got her. Now let's get her out of here," the first man whispered. The second man nodded and with some assistance carried Orihime's limp body onto his back. The pair exited the hotel room and locked the door, before going downstairs. They were greeted by the receptionist, who requested his key be handed back.

"You owe me big time," the receptionist said.

"We understand," the first masked man nodded. The pair of men exited the hotel and after walking some five hundred yards resorted to Shunpo-ing instead.

"The master is going to be pleased at our catch," the first man grinned.

* * *

The next morning, Tatsuki woke up early with a headache. Her head was throbbing and she was still only half awake.

"Oh god, I shouldn't have drunk that sake last night," she said. Unable to go to sleep again, she decided to check up on Orihime. She walked out of her room and knocked on the room next door. She knocked three times but no one answered.

"Orihime? It's me Tatsuki. Open up," Tatsuki said as she knocked three times again. Again there was no answer. _Maybe she went out?_ Just to make sure, Tatsuki kicked the door as hard as possible, knocking it open. When she went inside the room, she saw that Orihime was gone. But her Academy clothes, Zanpakuto and most importantly her cell phone were still present. This immediately made Tatsuki suspicious. _Orihime never leaves without her phone and she was still dressed in her nightgown when she went to sleep last night,_ Tatsuki thought. Without a moment's hesitation Tatsuki knocked on Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi's rooms.

"Wake up you guys! Orihime's gone missing!!" she shouted. In a flash the others all came out of the room still dressed in their sleeping clothes.

"What did you say Tatsuki-chan?" Yuzu asked.

"Orihime's disappeared without a trace, yet she left all of her belongings behind," Tatsuki said. She showed them Orihime's room.

"The bed's shifted position and the blankets are on the floor," Karin observed. "There's no doubt about it, Orihime must have been abducted."

"But if she was abducted wouldn't the kidnappers have gone through the window?" Yuichi asked. "There doesn't appear to be any signs of forced entry."

"Then that would mean the kidnappers obtained a copy of the hotel keys," Mizuiro said. After hearing Mizuiro's words, Tatsuki rushed downstairs and ran to the hotel counter. In a flash she jumped over the counter and grabbed a terrified receptionist by the throat.

"Where has Orihime been taken?" Tatsuki asked angrily.

"Who, who's Orihime?" the receptionist pretended to be ignorant.

"She has long orange hair and brown eyes," Tatsuki said. "She was the one who booked the hotel rooms. She's gone missing yet her belongings are still in her room. Furthermore there are no signs of a break in. Don't tell you don't know anything about it!!" The receptionist started laughing but Tatsuki squeezed his neck until he could barely breathe.

"Alright, I, I'll confess everything," he croaked. "Just let me go." A still furious Tatsuki released her grip and allowed the receptionist to recover.

"Tell us where she's been taken or else I'll kill you," Tatsuki threatened him.

"Heh heh, killing me won't do you any good. That girl has been brought to this place here," the receptionist handed Tatsuki a card with an address on it. "It's a secret temple located on the border between districts 55 and 56. I've never been inside but I've heard it's home of a blood cult. I doubt she's even alive right now." The receptionist started laughing again but Tatsuki knocked him out with a savage kick to the face.

"Come on guys, let's grab our stuff and head for this place," Tatsuki said. "We'll bring Orihime and her brother back."

* * *

Orihime woke feeling cold all over. As she opened her eyes she noticed she wasn't in her hotel room. She looked around and saw that she was in a dark and dank underground cell, with a coarse stone floor and iron metal bars.

"Where, where am I?" she asked herself.

"Is that you Orihime?" she heard a familiar voice nearby. She crawled to the left side of the cell to see where the voice had come from. When she got close up to the metal bars she saw the face of the person she had desperately wanted to see.

"Onii-chan!!" she exclaimed. Her brother, Inoue Sora, looked almost the same as he did when Orihime last saw him, but she noticed how thin and pale he had become, as well as the numerous scars and bruises on his face and arms.

"I'm so glad to see you again Onii-chan," Orihime's eyes started to water.

"Me too, but I wish we didn't have to meet each other you such a fashion," Sora sighed.

"Where are we? What is this place?" Orihime asked.

"I'm not quite sure either. I was abducted by a gang of masked strangers one night and brought here. That was probably two weeks ago. Since then I've seen nothing of the outside world.

"Then the letter those kidnappers sent me was true after all. You really had been abducted," Orihime said. "I really hoped that the letter was false and that you were okay."

"Well, other than the last two weeks I have been living a happy life," Sora said. "After your friend Kurosaki Ichigo performed soul burial on me I was sent to district 55 of Eastern Rukongai. The people there were really kind and provided me with a house to live in. I never felt hungry but I worked for the local market nonetheless. Our region largely escaped the upheaval of the great war that engulfed Soul Society, but news of the conflict did reach me. I heard rumours that you had been living in the King's Realm and that you were the reincarnation of the Spirit Princess. Are they all true Orihime?" Orihime nodded.

"It's a very long story, but for a period of four years I was the prisoner of a Shinigami called Aizen Sousuke, the one who invaded the King's Realm and conquered Soul Society. During that time I wasn't really myself and it was only after a miraculous series of events that I got my former body back," she explained.

"I don't care what your story is, I'm just glad you are okay," Sora said.

"But what about you? You're all covered in wounds! Who did this to you?" Before her brother could respond, Orihime heard a door open behind her.

"It's so nice to see you again Orihime," a stern-faced man with brown hair and a moustache said to her. When Orihime looked closely at his face, she freaked out.

"O, Otoo-san?" she asked.

"Oh, you still remember me, even though I haven't seen you in more than twenty years?" her father laughed. "You have a very good memory then."

"What, what are you doing here?"

"Everything will be explained soon my child," the figure of a woman with long black hair and wearing a skimpy black dress spoke.

"No, you're not going to let Orihime get involved in this, mother!!" Sora shouted.

"Mother?" Orihime asked in confusion.

"Oh my, you never told the child about her real mother, Kengyuu," the woman smirked.

"What does she mean?" Orihime looked at Sora, who was now gritting his teeth.

"I'm so sorry Orihime. I should have told you about this earlier. The two of us are half siblings," Sora explained. "The woman next to father is my mother, Inoue Komachi. Your mother however, died giving birth to you." Before Sora could speak any more, Inoue Kengyuu lashed out at him with a whip.

"Silence you dog!" he barked. "How dare you spill out our family secrets?!" He stared at Orihime and grinned. "Then again, it's too late to undo the damage. You want to know about your mother Orihime? How shall I begin? Oh yes, she was a very fine woman, with lovely blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was a virgin too. It was a delight to ravish her body. And when I discovered she was carrying a child, I eagerly watched her progress. Then when she died in childbirth I hastily brought you under my supervision."

"My, my, did you have to crush the girl's heart in such a brutal fashion?" Inoue Komachi asked. She shook her head. "It was a shame that she was taken from our hands so early on. I could have raised her to be a fine woman."

"Don't you dare say that!!" Sora shouted. "You used and abused even though she was a baby! If I hadn't taken her away, she would have ended up like me!"

"Shut up!!" Kengyuu shouted. He whipped Sora's face again. "You're nothing but bait!"

"What, what are you doing to with me?" Orihime asked.

"Patience Orihime. Everything will be revealed in due time. For now, you are once again our caged princess." With that, Orihime's father and stepmother left the chamber of cells, causing the entire place to be bathed in darkness. Still trying to comprehend the shocking familial revelations, Orihime broke down in tears.

* * *

"There it is," Karin pointed to a large bunker perched on top of a hill. She, Yuzu, Tatsuki and Yuichi had walked for miles through thick grass land until they reached the location specified. It was already the afternoon and the sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon.

"Wait up!" Keigo shouted. He and Mizuiro had lagged behind. As they caught up Tatsuki's group the two of them fell onto their buttocks and panted heavily.

"You guys need more fitness training," Tatsuki said. "Oh well, you can act as diversions whilst the rest of us find a way to infiltrate that bunker."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Mizuiro nodded. Keigo wasn't so keen.

"Shall we do a frontal assault or try to sneak around?" Yuichi asked.

"I don't see any other entrances," Yuzu said.

"Then let's break in from the front!" Tatsuki exclaimed.

* * *

Notes: The readers who sent in comments about Orihime's revised familiy history may be further surprised at the retcons I've made in this chapter. Yes, Orihime and Sora are half-siblings. Although it was never mentioned in the manga, I figured the huge disparity in their ages implied, plus their completely different appearance implied that they had different parents. The names of Orihime's father and stepmother, as well as the name of the hotel, are based on the Japanese festival of Tanabata, where Orihime's name was taken from.

Finally, I have to say the hot springs scene is my favourite part about this chapter.


	12. Chapter 12: Dark Ritual

**

* * *

**

Bleach Fanstory:

**Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: After starting their fourth Shinigami Academy year at the refurbished Karakura High School, Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi, Orihime and Tatsuki's lives are disrupted when Orihime finds out her brother has been kidnapped. Determined to find him no matter the cost, Orihime and her friends head to the far Western Rukongai, accompanied by Keigo and Mizuiro. When they arrive at the district where Orihime's brother Sora was located, Orihime and her friends checked into a local hotel. Though they enjoyed a relaxing hot springs bath, the students were unware that they were being observed. In the middle of the night Orihime is also abducted by unknown assailants. When the others find out, they immediately set out to rescue her. Orihime however awakens inside a cell beside her brother, and also encounters two people she never expected to see: her father and mother!

* * *

Chapter 12: Dark Ritual

Tatsuki, Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi waited in the bushes and watches Keigo and Mizuiro went ahead to scout. Should they encounter any guards or get attacked, Tatsuki's group would immediately spring into action. When Keigo and Mizuiro reached the doorway however, no guards appeared, nor did they trigger and defensive mechanism. After breathing a sigh of relief, the two guys turned around gave the 'all clear' sign.

"The coast is clear," Tatsuki said. She and the others moved out from the bushes and slowly walked up the hill to the bunker. When they reached the doorway they stuck to the walls at the side just in case any further traps sprung up.

"It appears the door isn't guarded by any traps," Karin said.

"That still leaves the problem of getting in," Yuzu said. Yuichi examined the surface of the doorway and noticed it was made out of stone.

"Hey guys, I think we can break through this doorway by force," he said. "It doesn't appear to be made of Sekki-seki or solid steel."

"Alright then, let's unleash our Zanpakutos and blast our way in!" Tatsuki exclaimed. She pulled out her sword and shouted "Break the tide, Ryujin!" Her Zanpakuto changed into a red gauntlet with spiked knuckles.

"Enchant, Youseihime," Yuzu said. Her Zanpakuto changed into a foot-long magic wand.

"Spin, Gozenhoshi!" Karin shouted. Her Zanpakuto changed into a glove that summoned a sphere of energy shaped like a soccer ball.

"Glide from the heavens, Yatagarasu," Yuichi called out. His Zanpakuto changed into a four foot long double-bladed broadsword. Keigo and Mizuiro could only look on in awe as their friend's released their Shikais.

"Darn it, why can't we get cool looking weapons like them?" Keigo asked Mizuiro.

"I dunno. Perhaps we just haven't practised enough," Mizuiro shrugged. Tatsuki, Yuzu, Karin and Yuichi took it in turns to pound upon the door with their Shikais. Tatsuki unleashed a barrage of punches with her spiked fists that succeeded in poking holes in the concrete that were subsequently filled with compressed air. Yuzu repeatedly fired her Shou blasts at the door, boring more holes through the concrete. Karin's energized soccer balls caused the outside of the door to crumble inwards from their impact. The final blow was given by Yuichi, who slashed across the door in one giant diagonal swing. This succeeded in causing the door to break in half. It crumbled inwards, exposing the students to the interior of the bunker. A flight of stairs began only a few metres from the entrance and led down a long dark tunnel.

With no way to see what was at the bottom, Tatsuki's group had no choice but to walk down the stairs. Keigo and Mizuiro wanted to stay on the surface but after Tatsuki threatened to poke their asses with her sword they decided to tag along. The flight of stairs seemed endless but in reality it took only five minutes for the group to reach the bottom. When they got there they saw a long corridor ahead of them. The group advanced cautiously, wary of encountering any enemies. The corridor led to the vast open area, with an enormous circular pit some two hundred metres in diameter. From where Tatsuki and the others were standing, the floor of the pit was some fifty metres below. In the middle of the pit was a large red pentagram, surrounded by an altar. The only way down to the pit was two staircases on either side of the terrace.

"Looks like the stairs are the only way to get down there," Karin said.

"Do we split up and take both sets of stairs?" Yuichi asked.

"No, we should stay together," Tatsuki said. "If we remain as a group we'll have a better chance of survival." They decided to take the left set of stairs. These winded along the walls of the pit but when the students got to the bottom they encountered another corridor. This one overlooked the pit, but of far more concern was the appearance of more than a dozen black-robed guards armed with daggers.

"Halt intruders!" the guards barked. "You shall not pass!"

"Finally we encounter some enemies," Tatsuki grinned.

"They don't look too hard to beat," Yuzu said.

"Please leave us out of this!" Keigo pleaded. He and Mizuiro watched on as Tatsuki, Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi charged at the black-robed guards. Tatsuki punched one of the guards in the face before dodging a dagger slash aimed at her head. Yuzu attacked from long range, stunning two of the guards before they had a chance to throw their daggers at her. Karin summoned an energy ball with her Shikai, dribbled it under her feet and kicked the ball into a guard's face. The ball bounced around, taking out two more guards in the process. Finally Yuichi took on four guards at once, blocking their dagger strikes with the blunt edge of his sword before slashing through their midriffs in one giant swing. Devastated at the loss of their comrades, the remaining three guards ran for their lives.

"Those guards were easy to deal with," Tatsuki said. They were about to continue onward when Karin saw that Yuichi was hesitating.

"What's the matter Yuichi? Hurry up!" Karin called out.

"I think we actually killed these people," Yuichi said. He bent down and touched the necks of some of the guards. He felt no pulse from any of them. "Don't you feel a bit queasy about becoming murderers?" Yuichi's question made Tatsuki, Karin and Yuzu pause for a moment. Though they had killed numerous hollows already they also knew there was a distinction between a hollow and an ordinary human soul.

"Gosh you're right it does feel weird for to kill other humans so easily," Yuzu said.

"It's too late for us to go back now," Tatsuki said. "We've already got blood on our hands." The six of them ran down another flight of stairs.

* * *

At the same moment, Orihime and her brother were woken up by the sound of the door to the chamber of cells opening.

"Good morning Orihime and Sora and all of the other distinguished guests," Orihime's father Kengyuu pretended to give a warm greeting. "It is time for the ritual to begin."

"The ritual? What does he mean?" Orihime asked Sora.

"Shit, I can't believe it's happening so soon," Sora swore. He motioned Orihime to come close to him. "I have a feeling that you will be spared from the fate that awaits me and the other prisoners Orihime. If you make it out of this alive, I want you to find a way to escape and tell the wider world about what father and mother are doing..." Before he could finish the door of his cell opened and Kengyuu lashed out at Sora with his whip.

"Silence you cretin! You have no right to speak with others!" he shouted. Orihime trembled in fear as she watched Sora and seven other prisoners get up and exit their cells. After the prisoners left Kengyuu and Komachi opened Orihime's cell door.

"It's time, Orihime," Komachi said. Although she was still quivering in terror, Orihime plucked up the courage and got onto her feet. She timidly followed her mother and father up the stairs. When they got to the top, Orihime was astonished at what she saw. She was in the middle of a gigantic circular pit, with the top of the rim nearly a hundred metres above the floor. In the centre of the pit was a red pentagram with an eight pointed star in the middle. At each of the star's points there were poles that were embedded in the ground. Sora and the seven other prisoners were tied to the poles with their hands and feet bound and their mouth gagged.

"Onii-chan!" Orihime shouted.

"Silence!" Kengyuu barked at her. "Do not waste your sympathy on your brother, for his life is about to end."

"What, what are you planning to do with him?"

"Sora and the other prisoners will form the sacrificial offerings for the ritual that we shall conduct. However there is one crucial ingredient we need to have before the ritual can proceed: a drop of your blood?" Orihime freaked out in shock.

"Do you understand now Orihime?" Komachi asked her daughter. "The letter we addressed to you was all for the purpose of luring you here."

"Don't worry my child, the procedure won't hurt," Kengyuu said. He approached Orihime with a large needle. Orihime tried to back away but Kengyuu chanted "Bakudo 1 Sai". Orihime's hands and feet were bound by invisible robes and she toppled onto her back. Her father injected the needle into her right arm. Orihime endured a brief moment of excruciating pain as the needle extracted her blood.

"All done. You may sit back now and watch the show," her father smiled at Orihime before getting up. Kengyuu stood in the centre of the pentagram and slowly squeezed Orihime's blood onto the floor. As soon as the blood hit the ground the pentagram started glowing. Blue and yellow sparks shot out from the poles and engulfed the prisoners. Orihime watched on in utter horror as one by one the prisoners' bodies started disintegrating. She glanced at Sora and saw that he too was enduring unspeakable torment. As the last piece to be sacrificed, he had the added nightmare of seeing the other prisoners meet their grisly fates.

"Onii-chan!!" Orihime cried out.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Keigo asked. He and the others had almost reached the bottom of the pit, eliminating all guards in their way when they felt a sudden surge of reiatsu nearby.

"It feels like the souls are dying," Yuzu said.

"Orihime better not be one of them!" Tatsuki exclaimed. "Come on we've got to hurry!" They ran down the final flight of stairs before reaching the bottom level. As they rounded the corridor and went through the doorway all of them halted in their tracks when they saw what was happening in front of them.

"Look! Orihime's on the ground over there!" Yuichi called out.

"But what is happening to the people tied to the poles?" Mizuiro asked. "Their bodies are...disintegrating!"

"Orihime's brother is tied to a pole too," Karin said. "Is he going to meet the same fate?"

"There's no time to waste now, we've got to save them!" Tatsuki shouted. She and her friends ran as fast they could towards the pentagram.

"Tatsuki-chan! Karin-chan! Yuzu-chan! Yuichi-kun! Asano-kun! Kojima-kun!" Orihime yelled out her friends' names in happiness.

"What are you rats doing?" the man standing in the middle of the pentagram asked. "Leave at once or I shall kill you!"

"I don't think so," Tatsuki waved her finger at him. "Yuzu!"

"Right!" Yuzu pointed her Shikai at the man and shouted "Shou!" She fired a blast of energy from her wand, hitting him squarely in the chest.

"NOO!!!" the man screamed out as he was knocked out of the pentagram. The blue and yellow sparks that had been crackling around the poles suddenly faded. Out of the eight people who had been tied to the poles, only Orihime's brother Sora was still alive. Yuichi, Keigo and Mizuiro undid the robes around Sora's arms and legs and removed the masking tape on his mouth. As soon as he was freed from the pole, Sora collapsed in exhaustion.

"Thank you so much for freeing me," he said.

"No need to thank us," Mizuiro said. "We're only doing it for a friend." The three boys carried Sora away from the Pentagram. At the same time Tatsuki, Karin and Yuzu lifted Orihime to her feet.

"Are you alright Orihime?" Tatsuki said.

"I'm okay," Orihime replied. "It's just that my arms and legs are bound by a spell."

"I'll remove the bindings for you," Yuzu said. She placed her left hand on Orihime's arms and chanted "Bakudo 10, Tada!" In an instant the invisible bindings were lifted and Orihime was free to move about.

"Thank you so much," she said with gratitude.

"Here's your clothes and Zanpakuto Orihime," Karin said. "We thought you might need them." Orihime thanked her friends again as she put on her Academy hakama and kimono before attaching her Zanpakuto and scabbard to her waist. By now Orihime's father Kengyuu had been helped to his feet by his wife Komachi.

"Who is that Orihime?" Tatsuki asked.

"That man is my father whilst the person beside him is my stepmother," Orihime replied. "My real mother died giving birth to me."

"You little wretch!" Kengyuu swore at his daughter. "You dare betray your father like this?"

"I don't consider you to be my father!" Orihime shouted back. "The only one who cared for me was Onii-chan! You used abused him and my real mother!" Orihime's words made Kengyuu furious. In a rage he pointed his right hand at her and shot out her a Hadou spell. Orihime however unsheathed her sword.

"Summon, Shun Shun Rikka!" Orihime called out her Zanpakuto. The sword transformed into a set of hairclips. She then placed her hands in front of her body and called out, "Santen Kesshun, I reject!" An orange triangular shield appeared in front of her body. It reflected the spell back at an angle, hitting Komachi directly in the chest. She coughed up blood before collapsing unconscious a moment later. Staring at the ruins of his plans, Kengyuu clenched his fists in anger.

"This isn't over...the ritual is yet to be finished!" he screamed out. "If I cannot get the sacrifices I require then I'll have to sacrifice myself!" He dragged his wife to the centre of the pentagram. He then pulled out a knife and proceeded to slash his left hand off. The blood that spurted out splattered onto the floor, causing the pentagram to light up. Orihime and the others quickly backed away and looked on in horror as blue and yellow sparks rose from the ground and engulfed Kengyuu and Komachi. Orihime and Sora could only stare in disbelief as their former parents vanished into dust in front of their eyes.

Before the siblings had time to contemplate their loss a massive wave of Reiyoku shot out of the pentagram. It formed a large column that rose to the rim of the pit. As the spirit energy subsided the students could see something literally rise up from the ground. A large head with horns appeared, followed by two clawed hands, a powerful muscular body and finally a set of hoofed feet. When the energy finally subsided none of the people present could comprehend what they seeing. With crimson red fur, flaming red eyes and standing more than four metres high, the monstrous bull-horned creature towered above them.

"Argh, a monster!!" Keigo screamed in terror. "It's going to eat us!"

"What, what is this creature?" Tatsuki asked.

"It doesn't have a hole or a mask...so it's a not a hollow," Yuzu commented.

"Whatever it is, it appears to be dangerous. We'll have to fight it with everything we've got," Yuichi said. He gripped his Shikai with both hands.

"Asano-kun, Kojima-kun, can take Onii-chan and carry him as far away as possible?" Orihime asked. "I don't any of you to get hurt."

"I understand Inoue-san," Mizuiro nodded. He and Keigo carried Sora and ran back to the corridor they came from and observed the battle. The monster seemed to notice their movement and in the first sign of intelligence began to move towards them.

"It's coming after us! We've got to fight back!" Karin shouted. Tatsuki was the first to attack the monster. She jumped into the air and punched at the monster's skin with her knuckled fists. None of her attacks penetrated and she barely avoided being hit by the monster's left arm.

"Damn, its skin is too tough to penetrate!" Tatsuki swore.

"Maybe spirit based attacks can hurt it," Yuzu said. She pointed her wand at the monster's head and fired a destructive blast. The spell had no effect.

"Let me try then," Karin said. She summoned an energy ball and kicked it hard at the monster's stomach with her feet. The ball just bounced off the monster's hide. Yuichi came rushing in and swung at the monster's left feet with his sword. He managed to penetrate the monster's skin, causing a slight wound. His attack somehow sent the monster into a rage. It gave out a bestial roar and started smashing the ground and nearby walls with its arms.

"I think I angered it," Yuichi said.

"Let me try to wound it," Orihime said. She pointed her arms forward and shouted "Koten Zanshun, I reject!" She fired a Tsubaki from her hands, aiming him directly at the monster's chest. In a shocking move, the monster swiped Tsubaki away with its left hand.

"Tsubaki no!!" Orihime yelled as she saw her fairy fall to the ground lifeless.

"We've got no choice but to combine our attacks," Karin said. "Let's strike him simultaneously with Hadou blasts!" Yuichi, Yuzu and Orihime nodded. They charged spirit energy in their hands and fired Hadou 31 Shakkaho spells at the monster. The four red blasts created a large cloud of dust that hid the monster from sight.

"I'll go for the jugular whilst it's caught off guard," Tatsuki said. She jumped into the air again and tried to attack at the monster's head. Just as she was about to land a hit, her left leg was suddenly grabbed by the monster. Before Tatsuki could react the monster squeezed her left leg hard, causing her leg bone to break. The monster then threw Tatsuki against the right side wall. It attempted to finish her off by breaking off a large portion of the terrace immediately above the now unconscious Tatsuki.

"Shunzen!" Yuzu called out. She fired an energy beam that halted the rubble's fall and shifted it away from Tatsuki. Her action left her vulnerable and the monster, in an uncanny display of intelligence, charged at Yuzu and kicked her in the stomach. Yuzu coughed up blood as she was sent skidding along the floor for several metres.

"No Yuzu!" Karin cried out. She glared at the monster. "You're going to pay for this you bastard!" She summoned another energy ball and kicked it as hard she could at the monster's head. To Karin's utter shock the monster was able to catch the ball with its hands. It then threw the ball back at Karin with even greater power. Karin was hit hard in the face by the ball was sent flying backwards.

"Karin, Yuzu!" Yuzu yelled. _You will not get away with this!_ His outrage at seeing his nakama fall caused a surge of reiatsu inside his body. He instinctively pointed his sword at the monster. Then without even thinking about it he fired a gigantic black energy blast shaped in the form of a crow's beak. The blast slammed into the monster and scythed right through its body, causing torrents of blood to splatter onto the ground. Surprised that he was able to deal a critical wound, Yuichi lowered his guard. He was unprepared for the monster's next attack. It opened its mouth and fired a red energy that engulfed Yuichi's body.

"Yuichi-kun!" Orihime yelled as she saw her friend topple backwards, his left pierced by the attack. "Soten Kesshun, I reject!" She summoned a stasis field large enough to cover all of her friends. This was not enough to protect them however and in desperation Orihime ran towards the monster and summoned a Santen Kesshun shield as she reached the creature's feet. _What can I do now?_ Orihime thought to herself. _All of my friends are down and this creature is so powerful. It's just like the time I tried to fight the Espada Yammy. Please, someone, anyone, come and save us!_ Orihime closed her eyes as she saw the monster open its mouth again, charging another energy attack. Just as Orihime was about to be hit by the blast, she heard a familiar voice chant a spell.

"Bakudo 81, Danku." A large white barrier appeared in front of Orihime, blocking the attack. Orihime opened her eyes and was astonished to see that she was still alive.

"I'm sorry I took so long," Kurosaki Ichigo said. The headmaster of the Academy, dressed in his captain's uniform, Shunpo-ed beside a still stunned Orihime.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime cried. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"No need to thank me now," Ichigo said. He looked at the fallen figures of Tatsuki, Yuzu, Karin and Yuichi and then stared at the monster. "Hooboy, it appears you students got yourselves in one heck of a situation."

"Be careful Kurosaki-kun. That monster is really strong," Orihime said.

"Is it? Well then, I'll just have to take him down quickly," Ichigo grinned. He removed his haori, unsheathed his Zanpakuto and without uttering a command instantly went Bankai. A large black aura of reiatsu engulfed his body for a brief moment before he appeared again dressed in his long flowing black robes and wielding a black sword.

"This is Kurosaki-kun's Bankai," Orihime said to herself. She watched as Ichigo pointed his sword at the monster and shouted the command "Getsuga Hadou." In an instant a gigantic black energy blast, shaped like a spiralling corkscrew, slammed into the monster. Ichigo proceeded to widen the blast, making it large enough to completely consume the creature. He saw its body disintegrate as his blast demolished one quarter of the pit's walls. With the monster destroyed Ichigo returned to his sealed state and sheathed his Zanpakuto, before putting on his haori. Orihime couldn't believe that he had been to kill in one shot a monster that had survived all of their combined attacks.

"That was amazing Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said. Ichigo gave her a wink before he walked over and started to check on Tatsuki, Yuzu, Karin and Yuichi. He placed his fingers against their chest, feeling for their reiatsu.

"Thank goodness, they're all alive," he breathed a sigh of a relief. "Their injuries aren't too severe either. Well then, I guess it's time to take you all back." He motioned for Keigo and Mizuiro to bring Sora over.

"Are we going to walk all the way home?" Keigo asked. "I don't think we'll be able to carry so many injured companions.

"Don't worry. Tessai-san taught me this super secret technique that will allow me to transport all of you back to Karakura Cho instantaneously," Ichigo said.

"What are you going to do about this place? And with the monster that appeared?" Mizuiro asked. "Before you came we encountered some really disturbing stuff."

"I'll deal with all of that after we get back. For now the main priority is to take care of everyone's injuries. Now, I want all of you to cover your ears and close your eyes. The process will be quite painful at first. Ichigo clasped his hands together and summoned a shimmering green rod of light. A second later the entire area of the pit started glowing a bright green. Then an enormous beam of green light shot out from the ground and penetrated through to the surface above. In a flash Ichigo and the students completely vanished, along with the ground they had been standing on.

Though no one knew at the time, everything that occurred inside the pit had been observed by a shadowy figure. He emerged from a hidden chamber just inside a wall and stared at the now empty bedrock, along with the shattered terraces. His fists clasps in anger, the man stared up at the sky clear sky above.

"Darn Kurosaki Ichigo!" Laodemon Priam swore. "How dare you ruin my plans again?! Next time I swear I will get you back for everything you have done!"

* * *

After Ichigo transported Orihime, her brother, and everyone else back to the Karakura High School football oval, he had Tatsuki, Yuzu, Karin, Yuichi and Sora admitted to Karakura Cho hospital's intensive care ward to receive medical treatment. Keigo and Mizuiro were allowed to return to their homes after being given a short debriefing. Orihime decided to wait inside the hospital for her brother and friends to recover.

"I heard you met your parents," Ichigo said to her. Orihime nodded but didn't speak a word. Ichigo could tell that she was still coping with everything that had happened to her.

"I guess you don't want to talk about them," he said. "Still, you must be happy to see your brother again."

"I'm just relieved that I found him alive and safe," Orihime said.

"So what are you going to do now that he and you are reunited?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm thinking of living with him in our little house again," Orihime smiled.

* * *

Notes: I know some readers were dissappointed at how Orihime's family revelations were handled, but I hope the events in this chapter will make up for it. The demon that appears in this chapter serves a prelude for a much larger story I have planned after Shinigami Academy ends but in the short term it won't be mentioned again. The revelation of Priam's involvement in the plot however, will be resolved in the final chapters of this story.

Also, I was planning on several ways for Ichigo to get everyone out, from having them walk to the nearest train station to Ichigo opening a Seireimon. But I figured it would be quicker and more spectacular for Ichigo to do the technique that Tessai used and teleport them all.


	13. Chapter 13: Final Year Apprenticeships

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: After hearing about her brother's dissappearance in a letter, Orihime sets out to find him with her friends, Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi and Tatsuki, with Keigo and Mizuiro tagging along. They travel to the far Eastern Rukongai and arrive at hot springs hotel. Soon afterwards, Orhime herself is abducted and the others mount a desperate attempt to retrieve her and hopefully her brother as well. Orihime wakes up in an underground cell and reunites with her brother Sora for the first time in nine years. Unfortunately she also comes face to face with her parents, who turn out to be sinister individuals. Orihime is forced to watch as her brother and seven other prisoners are tied down around a pentagram, before her father takes some of her blood and spills it onto the ground. The sinister ritual almost succeeds and only a last minute rescue by Tatsuki's group prevents Orihime's brother from dying. In a rage at their attempts being thwarted, Orihime's parents decide to use themselves as sacrifices. Their death causes a hideous demon from the underworld to appear. The terrified Academy students use all of their strength in an attempt to fight against the creature, but the demon quickly overpowers them all, and only a timely rescue by Ichigo saves them from being eaten. Ichigo quickly disposes of the demon and returns them all to Karakura Town...

* * *

Chapter 13: Final Year Apprenticeships

The incident that occurred in district 56 of Western Rukongai was quickly covered up by the Seireitei government. No mention of it was made outside the elite command of the Gotei 13, and even amongst the captains themselves what actually transpired inside the underground temple was only known to a few of Ichigo's closest associates. As for Orihime and the others, they were placed under a strict oath to never speak of what they encountered to anyone, even their relatives and friends. Their task was made easier by the fact that the six students had only been gone for four days at most, with a week left before the next school term started. Only Karin, Yuzu and Tatsuki were ever questioned about their actions, by Isshin and Tatsuki's parents and all three were able to pretend that the whole journey had been a camping trip.

The second term began a week after Ichigo brought them back and for the remainder of the year the students of the Academy completed their studies. Orihime, Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi and Tatsuki passed the year end examinations with flying colours, whilst some of their other friends such as Chizuru, Keigo and Mizuiro, just managed to pass. The Christmas holiday season came and went, but as the now veteran students began their fifth year at the Academy, they received a special summons to head to the wide open space at the base of the Senzaikyu, where the long flight of stairs leading to the first division's headquarters began.

As the thousand or so students gathered in the large square, they were greeted by their headmaster Kurosaki Ichigo and someone else they didn't expect to see-the Commander General Unohana Retsu. Murmurs began amongst the students and soon the entire crowd was abuzz with conversation.

"What is the Commander General doing here?" Tatsuki asked.

"I think it has something to with what Onii-san has in store for us," Karin replied. Their conversation was cut short when Kurosaki Ichigo motioned the students to be silent.

"You may be wondering way I have gathered all of you fifth year students here at this place," Ichigo said. "The short answer is that the Commander General Unohana wishes to speak to you all. Before she speaks you however, I'll give a more detailed explanation as to what I have planned. I hope all of you enjoyed the experience of studying a real world curriculum during your fourth year. Thankfully, you won't be studying at Karakura High School again. Instead, as part of the final year transition to full time service as Shinigami, you're going to undergo apprenticeship training with the Gotei 13 divisions. I'll pass it over to the Commander General who will discuss it with you in greater detail."

"Thank you Captain Kurosaki," Unohana turned to look at the students. "It is a delight to see so many young and budding recruits standing here before me. I have heard numerous wonderful stories about your experiences during these past four years. As part of the revamped Academy structure, this year will be the final year. Come next year, all of you will be fully fledged Shinigami serving in the Gotei 13's armed forces. To smooth out the transition process, we're giving each of you a chance to gain valuable work experience in one of the Gotei 13's divisions. During the course of the year, you'll be supervised by the division seats and instructed in their operations and structure, who will also teach you advanced Shinigami combat skills. At the end of the year, once you have completed your studies, you will be automatically enlisted into the division you trained under." Unohana paused for a moment and directed her lieutenant, Kotetsu Isane, to start handing out selection forms to all of the students.

"As I am speaking, forms are being distributed around to each and every student. These forms contain a brief description of the thirteen divisions, including each of the captain's names and the division's civil and military duties. You must indicate which division you wish to join. Then once the forms are processed over the next week, you will be sent invitation by the division captains." With that, Unohana finished speaking. After the headmaster gave the Academy students three days to consider their choices, he allowed them to return to their homes. As Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi, Orihime and Tatsuki headed for the nearest underground metro station, they discussed the selection choices.

"I'm having trouble deciding which division to join," Karin said.

"Me too. I don't really know a division that is suited to me," Yuzu said.

"Really? I thought the two of you, especially Yuzu-chan, would have an easy time," Orihime said. "You could just work for your brother."

"No way," Karin shook her head. "I don't want to live under Onii-san's shadow for the rest of my life."

"Geez, that's a shame," Tatsuki said. She looked at the list of divisions closely. "I think the second division is best suited to me. Specialising in Hakuda and assassinations."

"I agree Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime exclaimed. "I bet you'll get trained by Yoruichi-san! As for me, I think the fourth division is the best choice. I really want to learn to improve my medical skills." Whilst Orihime and Tatsuki had their choices sorted out, Karin, Yuzu and Yuichi were still studying the choices.

"I don't know if I should stay with the fifth division," Yuichi said. "The headmaster spoke to me at the end of last year and said he would be delighted if I studied under him."

"Staying with the fifth division might be a good idea," Yuzu said. "Onii-san is a master as Zanjutsu and Rukia-san can teach you to control your reiatsu."

"There's also the fact that Onii-san has experience with controlling hollow powers," Karin said. Though Yuichi rarely discussed his inner hollow, his friends knew were well aware of the constant struggles he had to face.

"Perhaps you are right. It would be nice to live in the Academy dormitories again," Yuzu said. "What about you two? You said you don't want to stay with your brother, so what other options do you have?"

"Hmm, well, I was thinking about joining the eleventh division," Karin said. "They're focused mainly on fighting and raw strength."

"But I heard the eleventh division is full of guys," Yuzu said. "Plus they don't take anyone who specialises in Kido."

"Pfft, as if those conditions would stop me!" Karin said vehemently. "I bet half those men there aren't as tough as me!" Yuzu didn't want to argue with her sister, so instead she looked at the list of divisions again.

"Hmm...which one should I pick?" she asked herself. "Oh, the thirteenth division looks nice. I'd love to go on a mission to the real world."

"You know that Otoo-san is the captain right?" Karin reminded her.

"So what? It's better than being in a place full of men! And I don't have a problem working for Otoo-san again," Yuzu said to her. Yuichi sighed deeply as the two sisters refused to speak to one another for the remainder of the journey back home.

* * *

During the following three days, the five of them, along with the other Academy students, filled out the selection forms and sent them to the Academy's office. Two days later, letters were sent to each of the students' homes, with messages from the division captains. Tatsuki and Orihime had both in accepted in their division of choice. Yuichi and Yuzu were given tentative approvals but were given an additional message to see the captain. Karin however was sent a letter of refusal.

"What the hell is this?" Karin asked, looking at the letter. "What do they mean I'm not suitable for service in their division? I'm speaking to their captain about this!"

"Maybe you should consider changing to another division, Karin," Tatsuki said. "From what I have heard, only the guys who got the lowest academic scores last year were accepted into that division. You'll be wasting your talent if you joined." Karin ignored Tatsuki's advice and went to her brother's office. She showed him the letter of refusal. After taking a careful look at it, Ichigo chuckled a bit.

"Aha ha, I can see why they refused," he said. "They must have thought it was a joke for a girl to actually think about joining."

"I'm dead serious Onii-san!" Karin protested to her brother. "I want to join that division!"

"I can't fault your determination Karin-chan, but the rumours about the eleventh division are mostly true. Captain Zaraki refuses to take any female Shinigami."

"But his lieutenant is a girl!"

"Kusajishi Yachiru is a special case. She is Captain Zaraki's closest friend and naturally became his deputy when he took the captainship. You might try to appeal to her but I doubt she'll approve of it either." Despite her brother's advice, Karin went ahead with her plan. She obtained permission to speak to the captain of the eleventh division. As she arrived in front of the division barracks, she noticed just how plain the entire place was. Everything looked drab and Spartan and when Karin walked through the mess hall, she saw nothing but men loitering around or drinking. Before she got even a tenth of a way through the hall, all of the men turned their eyes upon her.

"Look it's a lovely, sexy girl!" one man shouted.

"I want to feel her assets!" another man crowed. Karin tried to ignore their shouts and jeers as she made her way through the mess hall. When she got to the waiting room outside the captain's office she saw a long line of students standing along the hall. She recognised some of the faces.

"Hey what are you doing here Karin-chan?" Keigo asked.

"I'm going to speak with the captain and demand that he accepts my application," Karin said. Keigo and Mizuiro both struggled to comprehend her decision.

"I don't know if he'll even listen to you," Mizuiro said to her. "Keigo and I received letters of acceptance but that's just to attend the boot camp to weed out weak recruits." Ignoring Mizuiro's words, Karin knocked on the door of the office. A moment later, the door opened and she was greeted by Lieutenant Kusajishi.

"Hello, are you here to speak to Ken-chan?" Yachiru asked. Karin nodded. Yachiru led her inside and told her to sit on a chair facing the captain's desk.

"What is it, Yachiru?" a voice came from behind the desk.

"There's a girl here who wants to speak to you, Ken-chan," Yachiru replied. All of a sudden the figure of Zaraki Kenpachi sat up on his chair. Even though he was sitting down, Karin couldn't help but feel intimidated by his presence. He exuded an aura of menace that Ichigo lacked entirely.

"What do you want, girl?" Kenpachi stared into Karin's eyes.

"I want to join your division," Karin replied. "I sent an application in but I was refused!"

"Heh, heh, heh," Kenpachi started to laugh. "So you're the girl who sent in that ridiculous form. I remember your face. You're Ichigo's sister. I wonder what went through your mind to make you consider enlisting here. Have you seen those men in the mess hall? Every single one of them is a hardened criminal from Rukongai who wouldn't think about raping a woman if they weren't frightened of me. There's no place here for the weak hearted and especially not an innocent woman like you."

"But your lieutenant is female! How come she doesn't get treated badly?" Karin asked.

"Yachiru is one the strongest members of the division, and she is more than capable of dealing with any soldier who misbehaves. My men know how to treat her with respect. I couldn't say the same about you. You're just a girl fresh from the Academy. You don't want to receive special treatment from the moment you enlist do you? And that would be the only way I could prevent you from being sexually harassed. And there's one other thing-may I see your Zanpakuto?" Karin pulled out her sword and showed it to Kenpachi.

"As I thought, you have a Kidou-based Zanpakuto. It's something that is frowned upon here. We specialise in raw Zanjutsu combat. There's no room here for people who practice Kido." After hearing Kenpachi's words, Karin had no choice but accept cold hard fact that she wasn't suitable. The last thing she wanted was to be made to be treated like a mere woman.

"I understand now, Captain Zaraki. I won't pester you anymore," she said. "But before I go, could you recommend another division I could join instead?"

"Hmm, how about the eighth division?" Kenpachi suggested. "Abarai's the captain and he's a former subordinate of mine. He's also close friends with your brother."

"There's also a lot of strong girls there too!" Yachiru added. Karin thanked Kenpachi and Yachiru, before quickly exiting the division barracks. She went back to see brother again and Ichigo whole heartedly supported Kenpachi's recommendation.

"The eighth division would be a great career choice for you," Ichigo said. "They specialise in long range Zanjutsu, and are also quite strong in Kido. Furthermore, you'll be working with people in Rukongai as part of your civilian duties." Karin was excited at the prospect of helping newly dead spirits find homes and shelter.

"Thanks a lot, Onii-san, I'll contact Captain Abarai's office right away." Later that day, Karin applied to join the eighth division and was immediately accepted. With that, she and the others had decided on their future career paths.

* * *

A week after the letters of acceptance were posted, the fifth year students officially began their apprenticeships. They were summoned to appear before their respective division's captain. Tatsuki and nearly a hundred other students, some from her former house, others from different houses, stood at the assembly grounds of the second division barracks. They were ordered to stand in perfect rows and looked on as the division's captain, Soifon, addressed them.

"I am a woman of few words so I'll make this introduction brief," Soifon said. "For those of you here who are unfamiliar with it, the second division has a special role within the Gotei 13. We are intrinsically linked with the Onimitsukidou, and all members of the second division concurrently serve under the Special Forces. As the captain, I have a few concrete rules that I want all of you to drill into your heads." Tatsuki and the other students stiffened their stances.

"Firstly the number one rule, absolute obedience. As members of the Special Forces, your loyalty is to me and me alone. If you have to choose between your duty and your friends, then abandon your relatives without mercy! Your friends may forgive you for betraying them but I certainly won't. Anyone who betrays the Special Forces will personally be executed by me," Soifon explained. Already the students there were scared to death of even upsetting her. "The second rule, when you are tasked with a mission, your duty is to perform that mission regardless of the consequences. If your teammates are weighing you down, leave them behind, or if necessary, kill them if they are too much of a burden. And for the final rule, the modus operandi of the Special Forces is stealth and secrecy. The ultimate goal of any operative is to accomplish their mission, whether it is assassination or espionage, without being seen, heard or felt. Unlike some of the other divisions, we do not value overtly flashy special moves. As long as it gets the job done quickly and without a mess, then it is fine. Now then, as new recruits to the division, I want to have a test of your combat ability. The Onimitsukidou specialises in Hakuda, and from the academic results I've received, it appears all of you have received quite high marks in that area. So for now, I want all of you to pair up with someone and spar with them. The winners can move onto the next opponent, the losers can pick themselves up!"

With that Soifon gave the signal for the roughly a hundred or so students to begin. Each student paired up with another student and began fighting one another with their bare hands. All the while they being observed by Soifon and her lieutenant, Shihouin Yoruichi.

"They're doing well so far," Yoruichi whispered to Soifon, who nodded. As they watched, one of the students caught their eye. Tatsuki had finished off four opponents in the space of minutes and was now facing off against a man twice her size. She dealt with him the same way she beat Bruticus way back in the first year. Her judo throw surprised both Soifon and Yoruichi, who never expected a rookie to have such well developed Hakuda skills.

"Wow, that girl is good," Soifon said. "Her moves are clean and fluid."

"I remember seeing her somewhere..." Yoruichi said. "Ah yes, Arisawa Tatsuki, one of Ichigo's friends. Ichigo told me she was a tenth degree black belt in Karate when she was alive."

"Karate's like the real world version of Hakuda right?" Soifon asked Yoruichi, who nodded. "Then she's certainly a very promising candidate. Would you mind giving her special training? I don't think she'll need to go through the training exercises like the other recruits."

"It's my pleasure. I'm looking forward to seeing how strong she is," Yoruichi licked her lips.

* * *

At the same moment, Orihime was listening to the captain of the Fourth Division, Tsukabishi Tessai, speak to his new recruits about the joy and benefits of being a healer.

"Now, I know many of you may be wondering if you'll be branded as weaklings for joining the fourth division but let me tell you this, if it weren't for us healers, countless more Shinigami would die in the line of duty," Tessai said. "Being a healer is not for the faint hearted. Whether it be on the battlefield or in the hospital, you will have to endure many sickening sights that would make a grown man cringe in fright. And there will many occasions where you will be tasked with the responsibility of saving or ending a person's life." Orihime was all too familiar with Tessai's words. She remembered the countless times she used her powers to heal her friends' injuries.

"All things being said, it is true that we do not specialise in any forms of combat. The same must go for most of you here, for you would otherwise have chosen are more combat focused division. Instead, we specialise in Bakudo and healing spells. I know a lot of you here have excellent Kido results after reading your academic results, which pleases me greatly. There will be time to improve your Kido skills, but the most important skill of all fourth division members is the ability to cast healing spells. And so, the first task I want you recruits to perform is to practice channelling your Reiyoku into a gigai. The basic principle of healing is to restore a person's reishi, energy or reiatsu by infusing them with your own energy." He motioned his lieutenant, Ushoda Hachigen, to place a number of man-sized gigais on the floor. The students watched with fascination as Tessai placed his hands on the gigai's chest. A second later the entire fake body lit up as blue energy flowed from Tessai's hand. He maintained the energy flow for a few more seconds before releasing his hand from the gigai.

"I hope you have all observed how I directed my Reiyoku through the gigai for now I want you to perform the same action," Tessai said. He asked Hachi bring out a dozen more gigais and had them placed around the room. Groups of twenty students each took it in turns to direct their energy through the gigais. Most of them only managed to light up the gigai's chest region. When Orihime channelled her energy through the gigai, she found to her surprise that the entire doll's body lit up even more brightly than Tessai's had. The students around her let out a collective gasp and even Tessai and Hachi were taken aback.

"Oh my, her healing abilities might be even better than you, captain," Hachigen whispered. Tessai nodded. The two of them were familiar with Orihime and had prior knowledge of her abilities. But they also aware she had been separated from the source of her powers, the Princess Amaterasu.

"Hachigen, I think you should give Inoue Orihime special training of her own," Tessai said. "Her healing powers are probably developed enough to skip the initial lessons. And, I have a feeling her powers are similar to yours." Hachi nodded and agreed to supervise Orihime.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yuichi found himself standing in the courtyard of the fifth division barracks, along with nearly a hundred other Academy students. Though he had encountered numerous fifth division officers during his time at the Academy, he had never set foot into the division's quarters. He watched with awe as the captain and his headmaster Kurosaki Ichigo took to a platform overlooking the students.

"It is a pleasure to see so many students here who have decided to stay with the Academy," Ichigo began. "Of course, doing work for the Academy is hardly the most important of your duties in the fifth division, and no doubt many of you will have grown tired of it. So instead I'll be talking about the fifth division's military roles. Many of you might not know this, but the fifth division is one of the most important combat divisions the Gotei 13 has. We specialise in both Zanjutsu and Kido, and oversee half of Seireitei's Kido Corps. During times of war we are one of the divisions that are always on the front lines. In times of peace, there is another important role we have apart from being teachers of the Academy. We are responsible for maintaining and defending the spatial force fields that protect ordinary human beings from undue spiritual influence." As Ichigo spoke, Yuichi remembered the spatial dome around Tokyo City, and how it suddenly disappeared.

"That's enough babble from for now. What I want to with you guys is to have a feel tests to see how good you are with Zanjutsu and Kido. Although I have seen your test results it is easier to get a feel on your abilities by seeing it with my own eyes," Ichigo said. He motioned to his lieutenant Kuchiki Rukia, who swiftly took over.

"Alright everyone, I want all of you come to with me. We're going to the division's target practice area," Rukia said. She led the hundred students to a large spacious outdoor space near the rear of the division barracks. The students lined up in rows of twenty people each and were ordered to practice the Shakkaho spell. Almost everyone was familiar with this exercise, for they had done it plenty of times during the first and second years at the Academy. Yuichi stood in the second row and watched as the students in the front all performed the spell flawlessly. Though most of the spells managed to hit the targets, only a few came close to the centre circle.

As the first row finished, Yuichi's row stepped up the firing line and started chanting their spells. All twenty students roughly fired at the same time but Yuichi's Shakkaho was much more powerful than the others. It utterly obliterated the target and smashed a three foot wide hole in the wall. The other students gawked and glanced at Yuichi with stunned faces, and even Rukia was a bit taken aback by how powerful his spell was.

"Oops, I messed up again," Yuichi faked a laugh. After everyone had a go at Kido practice, Rukia led them out to the Zanjutsu training area. A hundred metre high concrete blocks were lined up in ten rows. Rukia ordered the students to stand behind each block as she was joined by Ichigo.

"In this test the aim is to break through the concrete blocks with pure Zanjutsu alone," Ichigo said. "Those who have a grasp of their Zanpakuto's power will be able to shatter the blocks with their spirit pressure." Upon Ichigo's signal, each of the students pulled out their swords and raised them above their heads, before swinging them down upon their block as hard as possible. Nearly half were unable to even make a dent in the block's surface, whilst the other half only succeeded in cutting through halfway. Yuichi however was not only able to cut the block in half but the sheer force of his attack caused a two foot deep gash in the floor.

"He's come along way hasn't he Ichigo?" Rukia asked as they observed Yuichi.

"He's just like me, an immense amount of spirit energy but without much control over it," Ichigo said. "Still, he shows a lot of potential for growth."

* * *

Just as Tatsuki, Orihime and Yuichi were undergoing their first practice lessons with their new divisions, Yuzu was also getting acquainted with her father's division. She sat through his initial introductions without paying much attention, for she knew full well what her father was like and also heard about the thirteenth division from Rukia.

"Just to let you know, despite our division's carefree attitude, we do have a serious role to perform," Isshin said. "At any one time, half of our division's Shinigami will generally be on patrol in various parts of the real world. These parts will generally coincide with Jureichi or other centres of spiritual activity. These missions can take anywhere from a month to half a year. A thirteenth division member has to have enough stamina to survive extended periods of duty without rest, whether on patrol or blending in with the human population. As such, there is one aspect of that we value above all else: endurance and tenacity. Those are the qualities I will be expecting from you recruits today. And to test these qualities I want to introduce my lovely assistant..." Before Isshin could finish his speech he was kicked in the face by his lieutenant, Sarugaki Hiyori. He was sent crashing into a wall.

"You talk too much goat face!" Hiyori barked at him.

"Oww... Hiyori, you didn't have to kick that hard," Isshin moaned.

"Whatever," Hiyori looked at the hundred or so students who all had terrified expressions on their faces. "Listen up your maggots, you're going to undergo an endurance test!" She led the students from the division's lecture theatre to the training room in the middle of the barracks. Yuzu gasped in surprise when she saw a whole series of treadmills laid out across the room in rows of ten each.

"These devices are my Super Hiyori Treadmills," Hiyori said. "The handlebars at the front measure your Reiyoku output and reiatsu levels. You must run on them until you energy is depleted!" Yuzu moaned as she and the other students got onto the treadmills. She placed her hand on the handlebars and felt the treadmill start up. Within seconds she was already running at full speed. Initially Yuzu had no trouble keeping up the pace. But soon enough she noticed her energy was dropping at a faster rate than she expected. She wondered what was going on when she saw bundles of reishi being sucked out of her hands. _These machines absorb energy? No wonder I'm getting tired so quickly_, she thought. Furthermore the pace of the treadmill was gradually increasing. After ten minutes of running Yuzu could barely keep up. She glanced around and saw lots of other people had fallen off the treadmill and were panting heavily.

"You maggots are pathetic!" Hiyori shouted at them. "Even ordinary humans with no spirit pressure can last longer! At this rate you won't even survive half a day out in the wilderness." Despite Hiyori's shouts Yuzu was losing the will to go on. She thought about letting go and falling over. But at this moment she saw the image of her father, doing star fish posses and jogging on the spot. It appeared that he was doing a sort of motivational dance. Whatever it was, seeing her goofy father again caused a hidden spirit to rise inside of Yuzu. She grasped the handlebars more firmly than before and continued to run. One by one everyone around her was dropping down like flies but Yuzu still kept on going, even though her ankles and knees were aching. After nearly an hour's worth of running, Yuzu's energy finally ran out. She collapsed onto her back just as the treadmill stopped. Of all the students, she was the last one remaining.

_Man, that girl certainly has the guts_, Hiyori thought with some amusement.

* * *

Notes: Yes, the Academy students have split up and gone on separate paths. I chose the divisions that were most suited to each of the main character's personalities, with Karin being the odd exception. I toyed with the idea of putting her in the 11th division, but I thought it would be too strange to have her being the only girl other than Yachiru, so decided to put her in the eighth division instead.


	14. Chapter 14: Under the Masters

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: At the beginning of the fifth year, the students of the Shinigami Academy receive a surprise when their headmaster Kurosaki Ichigo and the Commander General Unohana Retsu announce a program of apprenticeships that would see each student undergo a year long training in one of the thirteen divisions and at the end of year receive automatic enlistment in the division of their choice. Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki end up going to different divisions, based on their personel preferences. Tatsuki choses the second division, Orihime heads to the fourth, Yuichi decides to remain in the fifth division, and Yuzu goes to the thirteenth division. Of all of her friends, Karin takes the longest time in deciding her division, for she initially goes with the eleventh, but after being told she wasn't suitable there, Karin decides on the eighth division. The five friends meet with their division's captain and lieutenant, and receive a wake-up call when the division's initial assessment tests see them acquainted with each of the division's modus operandi...

* * *

Chapter 14: Under the Masters

Of all the five friends, Karin was the last one to get acquainted with her division. The drama over her choice between the eleventh and eighth divisions meant she was one of the last students to get enlisted, and only made the cut by the skin of her teeth. Naturally enough, when she arrived at the designated meeting room inside the eighth division barracks, all of the other students were present.

"Ah, Kurosaki Karin is it?" the captain of eighth division, Abarai Renji asked. "You're just in time for my introduction speech. Please take a seat." Karin was relieved to hear she hadn't missed out on anything important. She quickly spotted and empty seat and sat on it. After making sure that nobody else was going to enter, Captain Abarai closed the doors of the meeting room. Then, with his lieutenant Yadomaru Lisa watching on, he stood in front of the hundred or so students with a microphone in his hand.

"Welcome everyone to the eighth division," Renji began. "I am the captain, Abarai Renji and the lovely girl at my side is my lieutenant, Yadomaru Lisa. We're a really laid-back division in terms of rules and regulations, but we do carry out an important task. As many of you may have noticed around Karakura Cho, the eighth division is responsible for the housing and welfare of Rukongai citizens. We assign the newly arrived souls accommodation and help unite family members whenever possible. It's a complex task and requires an almost fulltime commitment. Most of it the work is administrative in nature; however, there will be times when force is required. In those circumstances, what we value the most is versatility. All eighth division members must be proficient in all forms of Shinigami combat, for you may never know what situations you'll end up in." After Renji finished his speech, he allowed Lisa to take over.

"To test your abilities we're going to conduct a trial involving an obstacle course," Lisa explained. "Over a five hundred metre distance, the goal is to get to the other side whilst avoiding or dealing with all of the traps that are designed to hinder your progress. Each student will undertake the one at a time. When your name is called, proceed through this door at the side and follow the directions." As Lisa spoke, a hidden doorway opened up on the right side of the room. The first person's name was called out and he got up and walked timidly through the doorway. Karin waited nervously for her turn.

Half an hour later, her name was called and Karin strode through the corridor until she arrived at an outdoor area. She saw a building in the distance, but in between was a complex series of pits and other contraptions. _So this is the obstacle course_, Karin thought to herself, _what a pain in the arse to get through_.

A signal to begin was given and Karin immediately Shunpo-ed ahead as fast as she could. She cleared the first pit within seconds and reached the second gap, where a ten metre high steel wall suddenly rose out of the ground. Karin tried jumping over the wall, but numerous arrows shot out from the wall and scraped her legs. Karin fell onto her back, wondering what happened. She got up and studied the wall closely. When she glanced at the top she saw an eighth division symbol etched onto a trigger point. Realizing she had to hit the symbol, Karin released her Zanpakuto, summoned an energy ball, and kicked it at the symbol. The trigger point depressed and the wall quickly lowered into the ground. Karin was about to move ahead in triumph when she was suddenly slammed in the back by a catapult of some sort.

She was sent flying over the wall and immediately saw herself heading for a pit twenty metres in front of her. In a quick manoeuvre she pointed her left hand forward and shouted "Bakudo 37, Tsuriboshi!" A light blue net woven from spirit threads covered the pit, catching Karin as she landed on it. She got up quickly and leaped off the net, Shunpo-ing forward as fast as possible. She eventually reached the final hundred metres, which involved a long narrow walkway surrounded by pits. Karin ran across the walkway but as soon as she started crossing it rubber arrows shot out from the trees on both sides. With her Zanpakuto still released, Karin couldn't deflect any of them, and so her only option was to Shunpo across the walkway. Just as she was about to finish crossing the walkway, her ankle was hit by an arrow. She was sent flying forward and landed on the ground just in front of Captain Abarai Renji.

"Congratulations, you ran the fastest time," Renji said to Karin as he stopped a watch he was holding in his hands. "However, you allowed yourself to get hit by the arrows inside of deflecting them." Karin tried to respond but she knew full well that Zanjutsu was her weakness.

"Don't worry, that's an area I can help you improve on," Renji smiled. With that, Karin passed her first test as an eighth division trainee.

* * *

Over the next six months, Tatsuki, Orihime, Yuichi, Yuzu and Karin underwent intensive combat training either under the supervision of the division captain or the lieutenant, having been singled out as possessing exceptional abilities and qualities that placed them ahead of the other students in their groups. They still underwent the same training in regards to rules and procedures but it was their private sessions with the masters that really stood out.

"Hyaah!" Tatsuki yelled as she tried to land a punch on the lieutenant of second division, Shihouin Yoruichi. The two of them were having a sparring lesson and Tatsuki had already released her Shikai. The added power made no difference as no matter how hard Tatsuki tried, she could not hit Yoruichi at all.

"What's wrong Tatsuki-chan? You aren't trying your hardest," Yoruichi commented.

"I am trying my best!" Tatsuki protested. She tried doing a rapid series of punches before mixing it up with a spinning kick. Her right leg was blocked by Yoruichi's arm.

"If this is your best then I'm slightly disappointed," Yoruichi said. She grabbed hold of Tatsuki's leg and swung her right over her head. Tatsuki landed on her back with a thud. She recovered quickly and tried to punch at Yoruichi again, charging spirit energy into her right fist. This time Yoruichi used both hands to grab Tatsuki's gloved Shikai. Tatsuki shocked to feel all of the energy in her fist disappear. Yoruichi let go of Tatsuki's hand and watched as Tatsuki feel to her knees in confusion.

"What, what was that you just did?" Tatsuki asked.

"Hanki Sosai, a Kido cancelling move that negates an opponent's spirit energy by meeting it with an equal but opposite spirit energy," Yoruichi replied. "Only those who are highly skilled in Kido are able to master it. However, even without that move, I could have easily blocked your final attack just by grabbing your arm." Tatsuki looked at her right gloved fist, and pounded the ground in despair.

"The only thing I know how to do is fight using my hands and fists," Tatsuki said. "I can't use Kido, I can't move fast, and I suck at using my Zanpakto. I'm so useless." Tatsuki was about to break down in tears, but Yoruichi laid her hands on her shoulders.

"Don't worry, I can teach you how to use Kido properly, as well as a fighting style that relies primarily on Hakuda," Yoruichi said. "It's the style I taught Captain Soifon." Before Tatsuki could speak a word, Yoruichi went inside the division's storeroom. She came out a few minutes later carrying a large crystal ball with red crane symbol etched onto it.

"What this is that thing?" Tatsuki's asked.

"It's a Reishaku core, a device that makes it easier for a user to concentrate his or her spirit energy. It's the same object that your nakama and I used to break into Soul Society during our mission to rescue Kuchiki Rukia," Yoruichi explained. "How it works is quite simple. You just place your hands on the ball and try to focus your energy into it, like this." Tatsuki gasped when she saw a sphere of reiatsu surround Yoruichi. It disappeared a moment later as Yoruichi gave the ball to Tatsuki.

"I don't believe it; you created a reiatsu aura around yourself!" Tatsuki exclaimed.

"You shouldn't be shocked. Exerting reiatsu from my body is one of the simplest moves any trained Shinigami can do and I was greatly assisted by the Reishaku core. You can do it too. Here's a few tips. Picture a dark, deep circle in your mind and imagine yourself lowering your hands into it."

"A deep dark circle and lowering my hands into it...right," Tatsuki repeated. As she was trying hard to picture it, a voice spoke inside her head. _Yes, dig deep into the source of your power_. A second later, a two metre wide sphere of reiatsu appeared around an ecstatic Tatsuki.

"I did it!" Tatsuki exclaimed. She jumped up and down still carrying the core. "I created an aura Yoruichi-san!"

"Very good, you conquered the first step. But from now on, it gets harder," Yoruichi said.

* * *

"Oh wow!" Orihime said in surprise. She looked down at the dead rabbit she was healing. When lieutenant Hachigen gave her the corpse of a rabbit and asked her to use pure healing Kidou to close up the wounds, Orihime feared it would take hours of work. But within twenty minutes, all of the internal wounds were healed and she was just finishing up sealing the outside skin.

"Amazing," Hachigen said as he observed Orihime's work. "You healed wounds that would take even a high ranking officer at least half an hour to finish. You certainly have talent for healing, Orihime-chan." Orihime blushed in embarrassment.

"So, does that mean I'm done with basic healing training?" Orihime asked.

"I suppose it does. You've completed something that will take the other students a week at least to master," Hachigen replied. "But, I suspect you still want to be trained." He looked at Orihime, who hesitantly nodded.

"I...may be able to heal people, but I'm not a soldier," Orihime said. "I don't have the will or the skill to fight unless I'm doing to protect my nakama." Hachi remembered the things he and Orihime discussed a long time ago, underneath the abandoned warehouse he and his Vizard nakama were staying in at the time.

"Ah yes, I said to you once that you weren't a fighter type, and neither was I. However, I also said there was a way that you could fight with the powers you had back then," Hachi smiled. "The powers you have now are obviously quite different, but the same principle still applies."

"Are you really going to teach me how to use my offensive powers?" Orihime asked. Hachi nodded. He requested permission from Captain Tsukabishi to leave Seireitei and a few hours later he took Orihime to the fourth district of Southern Rukongai. They stood in a patch of grass near the bottom of a gigantic waterfall. A hundred metres high and two hundred metres in width, the waterfall plummeted into a vast pool of water that flowed outwards into a river.

"You may be wondering why I have taken you here," Hachi said. "This is one of the most popular outdoor training destinations for many divisions. Not only is it a perfect meditation spot, but the waterfall makes for excellent target practice."

"Target practice?" Orihime was confused.

"Here, you can fire Hadou spells and Zanpakuto attacks at the waterfall and it will never break, for the cliffs are made of Sekki-seki stone. Try cutting the waterfall in half with your Shikai ability, like this." Hachigen summoned a yellow barrier that divided the waterfall into two neat sections, much to Orihime's amazement.

"That was awesome!" she exclaimed.

"It was merely an application of my abilities. After I became a Vizard, I learned to develop special hollow powers, mainly in the area of Negacion. After decades of training I finally learned how to make barriers that could shield; barriers that could regenerate and barriers that could sever objects."

"No wonder you could do stuff similar to my Shun Shun Rikka," Orihime said. "Oh well, I'll give it a try now." She placed her hands in front of her body and shouted out "Koten Zanshun!" Tsubaki shot out of her hairclips like an arrow and flew at the waterfall. He cut through the water and caused the waterfall to be divided into two neat halves just like Hachi did. Orihime called Tsubaki back and watched as the waterfall returned to normal.

"I did it!" she jumped happily.

"There's a long road ahead to go, Orihime-chan," Hachi reminded her.

* * *

Yuichi barely managed to dodge a slow thrust that was aimed for his eyes. He jumped away and skidded on his knees for several metres before coming to a stop. He lowered his sword for a moment and tried to recover his breath. However, a second later he was staring at a sword pointed directly at his neck.

"You lowered your guard," Captain Kurosaki Ichigo said. Yuichi stared at the released Zangetsu and trembled in fear. He could feel the killing intent that was present within the blade. Ichigo allowed Yuichi to get up again.

"What happened Yuichi-kun?" Ichigo asked. "Your movements are awkward and your reaction times are slow. If this was a serious battle, you would have been dead." Yuichi bowed his head in shame. He had relished an opportunity to spar with his captain and idol in a sword match, and learn how to master his Zanpakuto, but his experience so far had been disappointing. He glanced at his Zanpakuto, Yatagarasu, in disgust.

"I don't know why I can't fight properly, Captain Kurosaki," Yuichi said. "No matter how hard I try, I can't replicate the energy attack I performed on that demon."

"I happen to know the reason," Ichigo said. "You lack resolve, Yuichi. Since you think this is but a sparring match, you don't have intent to kill. This weakness is reflected in the strength of your Zanpakuto. Your power is dictated by your emotions. I assume that during the battle in the underground temple, you fighting for your survival, and had no hesitation to kill the demon. Hence your power at that point was at its peak and you were able to unleash your Zanpakuto's true abilities."

"How do you know so much about my powers?" Yuichi asked. Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed for a moment.

"My powers used to be very similar to yours. I too had a fluctuating reiatsu that peaked only when I was on the brink of death or filled with killing intent. And just like you, I had trouble unlocking my Zanpakuto's power, only releasing it at certain moments. And from my experience, I can tell what you're feeling now. You're afraid aren't you? You're afraid to get hurt and afraid to hurt back. So far, you've done nothing but block or evade my attacks. Such a strategy will never win you any battles."

"What shall I do then?"

"It's all about resolve. The resolve to fight, the resolve to survive, and the resolve to shed another person's blood, these are fundamental to a Shinigami's power. We must suppress our emotions on the battle field, but at the same time, rely on the same emotions to fight with everything we have. You see my sword? It is bursting with the resolve to cut flesh. Your sword is itching out to do the same, but your fear is holding it back. Let go of it, abandon your fear, and unleash your sword's inner power." Upon hearing Ichigo's words, Yuichi finally understood at last. He had been keeping Yatagarasu locked up in its cage because he feared it would fly away and never return. But he knew now that he made a terrible mistake.

"_I'm sorry Yatagarasu, I'm sorry for keeping you locked up in that cage,"_ Yuichi talked with his Zanpakuto. _"This time, I promise to let you out for good._"

_"You finally realized at last Yuichi,"_ Yatagarasu spoke in his head. _"I thought it would take forever to get to you. You've finally allowed me to show my true powers."_ At this moment, Yuichi's body was surrounded by an aura of reiatsu. He held Yatagarasu with both hands and pointed the tip of the blade at Ichigo. Upon seeing Yuichi's stand, Ichigo smiled.

"You've finally did it Yuichi-kun, you mastered your resolve," Ichigo said. He lifted Zangetsu up in the air with one hand, and formed a reiatsu aura around his body. "Never forget this feeling." The master and the student faced off against each other for a brief moment, before they unleashed energy attacks against each other.

* * *

"Come on, you can do better than this!" Hiyori yelled out to a struggling Yuzu, who was doing push ups on the ground whilst carrying a ten kilogram bag and with metal bands around her wrists and ankles. The extra weight on her shoulders was already a burden enough, but the bands had the effect of constricting Yuzu's spirit energy, forcing her to rely on her own physical strength.

"Urgh, why am I doing this again, lieutenant Sarugaki-san?" Yuzu asked.

"You're doing this to improve the toughness of your reishi body," Hiyori replied. "A Shinigami cannot rely on their reiatsu alone. They must also train their bodies like a living human being. The tougher a Konpaku's reishi is, the greater their ability to survive and recover from crippling injuries, and to keep going even when their spirit energy is depleted."

"Alright, I understand the need for the bag, but what are the bands for? It feels like they're sucking my spirit energy!"

"You got that right; they're designed to suck Reiyoku from your body, limiting the amount of reiatsu you can exert. Not only does this make you rely more on your physical strength, but they also have the secondary purpose of refining your reiatsu control. You'll be more efficient at using your spirit energy and have a much greater endurance once I'm through with you." Yuzu groaned at the prospect of enduring a whole year of training like this. When at last Hiyori ordered her to stop doing push-ups, Yuzu collapsed onto her back in exhaustion.

"I'm...too...tired...to...even...move," Yuzu panted.

"This is pathetic, you couldn't even last an hour," Hiyori shook her head. "Your brother Ichigo was able to walk on an energy sucking walker for a whole day without getting off." She got off the box she was sitting on and helped Yuzu to her feet.

"I'll let you rest for a short while, but next up we're going to have a long sparring session. It seems from the results your brother gave me that you're weak in both Zanjutsu and Hakuda. Being proficient at Kido is a good thing to have, but often in battles it comes down to who is stronger with a fist or a blade." Yuzu understood and followed Hiyori to the thirteenth division's drill building. At the moment, the building was empty, as Isshin had specifically assigned the regular Shinigami active duties, and the other recruits were being trained elsewhere. They stood in the middle of the floor, facing each other. Hiyori pulled out her Zanpakuto and ordered Yuzu to draw her sword.

"En garde!" Hiyori shouted. Yuzu prepared herself, but was caught off guard when the lieutenant launched a sudden forward attack. A thrust from Hiyori narrowly missed Yuzu's cheek, and Yuzu only managed to block the second strike because Hiyori had slowed down her attacks.

"You're not using your eyes," Hiyori said to Yuzu. "You should anticipate an opponent's attack by looking at their arms, hands and feet. If you react only after they're moved, then it's already too late." Yuzu gritted her teeth. Even though she knew the lieutenant was using only a fraction of her strength, she still found it too hard to follow her movements.

"I don't much experience fighting at close range," Yuzu protested.

"No wonder your defensive skills are so poor," Hiyori sighed. "I guess I'll have to start with the basics over again." She resorted to teaching Yuzu the most fundamental sword techniques and stances, the types of defences against them. Though Yuzu had learnt most it during the first two years of the Academy, she was glad to have a refresher course, because she barely remembered it all.

* * *

Karin began her private training nearly a week after her friends had already begun theirs. However, she was told by the captain of the eighth division Abarai Renji that she was proficient in all four combat areas and only needed specific training to improve her weak points. Though Renji's lieutenant Yadomaru Lisa volunteered for the private lessons, the captain decided to give Karin a hand's on approach. He took her to the eighth division's outdoor training grounds, which was an expanse of grass surrounded by sakura blossom trees.

"Um, captain, what are you going to teach me?" Karin asked.

"That's a good question. Before I answer it, I want you to show me your Zanpakuto," Renji said. Karin nodded and pulled out her sword.

"Spin, Gozenhoshi," Karin said. Her Zanpakuto changed into a metallic glove that covered her right hand. Using the glove, she summoned a yellow ball of energy that dropped to the ground. She then kicked the ball into the air with her feet. The ball landed a fair distance away before dissipating. Karin was about to seal her Zanpakuto when Renji ordered her to remain released.

"I see what the problem with your Zanpakuto is," Renji said. "You can only summon one ball of energy at a time and you must use your feet to launch it at a target. Furthermore, once you have kicked the ball, it goes beyond your control." Karin was impressed that he was able to analyse her Zanpakuto's power so thoroughly.

"I don't know how to control the ball. It just bounces around by itself," Karin said.

"That's no good is it? If you don't have thorough control of your Shikai's powers, then an enemy can exploit those weaknesses and strike when you're vulnerable," Renji reminder her. "But, I can teach you a way to overcome your weaknesses." He released his Zanpakuto, Zabimaru, without changing the command.

"You see my Shikai? It used to have two big weaknesses. The first was that I could extend it outward and strike with it three times before I had to return the blades to normal. The second was that if the spirit threads linking the blades broke, then my Zanpakuto would be severely damaged. I've managed to overcome the first weakness by adopting an Iaido style of sword combat where I retrace the blades after one strike and quickly unleash them again. The second weakness was overcome by learning how to control the individual blades by my energy alone." It took a while for Karin to understand what the captain was saying, but eventually, she got what he meant. She had to find some way to strengthen her mastery over her Zanpakuto.

"How do I get better control over my Shikai captain?" Karin asked.

"Part of it will involve regular fighting experience, but another part is about communicating with your Zanpakuto. Sometimes, the Zanpakuto itself will teach you a new ability or grant you better control over it. Overtimes, you'll have to figure out by yourself. From now on, we'll have regular sparring sessions but we'll also combine it with Hakuda, Kidou and Hohou training. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a lot of fun to me," Karin grinned.

* * *

Six months after the Academy students began their division apprenticeships; they were all summoned back to the Academy's Seireitei campus grounds. The headmaster of the Academy, Kurosaki Ichigo, greeted all of the fifth students, before addressing them on top of a podium.

"I hope you've all enjoyed these last six months," Ichigo began. "I've certainly had fun personally overseeing the development of a hundred students. Although there are still a few months to go in your apprenticeships, and even though the vast majority of you will be automatically enlisted in the divisions you chose to train under, there is still a series of assessments that must be passed for all of you to graduate from the Academy and become fully fledged Shinigami. These assessments will involve examinations that test you on everything you have learned in the last five years of education. They will cover Shinigami duties and etiquette, the history of Soul Society, Zanjutsu, Kidou, Hakuda and Hohou abilities, and finally literacy and academic skills. Because this will be the first time the examinations will be conducted, things might not go according to plan. Nevertheless, you will sit the written tests in various classrooms. The combat ability tests will be conducted inside the Academy gymnasium and various special buildings around the campus. That's not all. Once all of examinations are finished and the results are tallied, there will be one final series of trials that will be held to determine the best students of the Academy. This will involve an all-out tournament of strength and skill. The winner of the tournament, along with the other finalists will receive special consideration for division seats upon graduation."

* * *

Notes: I decided to stick to the training shown in the manga when covering each of the main characters' lessons, with classic references such as the reishaku core and the 'resolve' flashback. I must admit it was hard to make each of the individual training lessons unique. Next chapter will see the beginning of the final tournament arc, where everyone will face off against each other.


	15. Chapter 15: The Academy Tournament

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: At the beginning of the fifth year, the students of the Shinigami Academy receive a surprise when their headmaster Kurosaki Ichigo and the Commander General Unohana Retsu announce a program of apprenticeships that would see each student undergo a year long training in one of the thirteen divisions and at the end of year receive automatic enlistment in the division of their choice. Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki go their seperate ways as they study under their respective captain. However, at the end of their training, the students receive a surprise when the Headmaster Ichigo announces a tournament that will decide the best and brighest of the fifth students to be given an officer rank upon graduation.

* * *

Chapter 15: The Academy Tournament

Ichigo's announcement caused a shockwave of excitement and astonishment through the entire crowd. Few students could believe what they had heard. Although they had all endured final examinations at the end of every year, the idea of a tournament to decide the strongest student in the academy was something that hardly entered the minds of anyone.

"So we're going to have a tournament? I like the sound of that," Tatsuki grinned.

"I'm not so sure...what if we're forced to fight each other?" Orihime asked.

"Then we'll give it everything we've got," Karin said. "It'll be like the sparring matches we had in Zanjutsu and Hakuda class."

"But that was four years ago. We've gotten so much more powerful that if we fight each other we could end up getting hurt," Yuichi added.

"Well, we can just hope that we don't fight each other in the tournament then," Yuzu said cheerfully.

They didn't have much time to ponder about potential match-ups for the tournament, for within several days the final examinations commenced. The Academy's main gymnasium was converted to an examination hall, with a thousand seats arranged into fifty rows. The students checked their names on a large whiteboard posted beside the doors. Slowly they filed into the hall and sat down on their designated seats. On each desk was a series of examination papers covering the entire five year curriculum. The chief supervisors, Minazawa, Mariko and Tanaka, allowed twenty minutes' reading time before the exam proper began. It lasted for more than four hours. By the time it was finished all of the students were exhausted. Some like Keigo and Mizuiro had fallen asleep.

"Gosh that was a nightmare," Tatsuki said to her friends as they walked out of the gym.

"Did you guys manage to finish it?" Karin asked.

"I think I completed all the sections, but I might have missed out on a few questions," Orihime replied.

"I don't think I did so well..." Yuichi muttered. "Would that mean I'd fail?"

"Not necessarily. There's still the Kidou and Hohou exams to go. Plus we don't know how the tournament will be arranged," Yuzu explained.

As Yuzu predicted, the Kidou and Hohou exams were held in the two days immediately after the written examinations. Most of the students from B group passed both exams with flying colours, with Yuzu, Karin and Orihime scoring achieving perfect scores. Yuichi and Tatsuki weren't far behind. Other students who did extremely well included Paris and the others from the Laodemon and Julius Clans. Three days after the exams concluded, the fifth year students were called to a special outdoor assembly near the front entrance of Karakura High School.

Even as they wondered about the occasion, they watched as the Principal of the Karakura High campus and third seat of the fifth division, Taneko Minazawa, exit the front door and stood on the steps facing them.

"Good morning fifth years," Minazawa said cheerfully. "Congratulations on finishing your final examinations. Now, I am sure you are all wondering why we have called out here. Well, the Headmaster Kurosaki has asked me to explain how the upcoming Zanjutsu and Hakuda tournament will be organised." Minazawa's announcement was greeted with excitement and anticipation from everyone.

"Before I start, I would first like to inform that all of you fifth year students have passed the examinations. This means you have all secured a guaranteed place within the Gotei 13 divisions upon graduation. What the tournament will do is to sort out the highest achieving students who have the potential to be seated officers. Out of the thousand students in the year level, the top 128 people who achieved outstanding results in both the written and practical examinations will participate in a knock-out tournament that will test their Zanjutsu and Hakuda skills to the utmost. The first four rounds will take place inside the Academy's gymnasium but the finals will be held at the Seireitei arena in front an audience of the Gotei 13, Onimitsukidou and the Kidou Corps."

Minazawa finished his speech by directing the crowd of students, still amazed at what they had heard, to a set of tables nearby. Five teachers sat behind the tables and as each student stood in front of them they checked their examination results and presented the highest scoring students a raffle number. The number was recorded down and after all 128 places were filled, the fifth year students watched as a large electronic billboard appeared on a nearby wall. The billboard showed the tournament match-ups with the names of all 128 participants. "Would you look at that, we're all in different blocks," Karin said.

"That means none of us will fight each other until the finals," Yuzu said. The students were allowed to return to their dorms.

The next morning, Karin, Yuzu, Yuichi, Orihime and Tatsuki woke up early and arrived at the Academy gymnasium. They saw that plenty of the other participants were already present. As the five friends mingled through the crowd they encountered a few surprising faces.

"Hey guys!" Keigo called out. He was accompanied by Mizuiro, Chizuru and Ryo.

"I'm surprised that you and Mizuiro got through," Karin smirked.

"Our year of training under the eleventh division was terrifying enough to make us all super strong," Mizuiro smiled.

"Orihime-chan!" Chizuru exclaimed as she hugged her arms around Orihime. "If you and I ever fight, let's turn it into a love-fest..." she was suddenly kicked by Tatsuki in the face.

"Tch, you better not pull those lesbian antics in the tournament or I will beat the crap out of you," Tatsuki threatened Chizuru.

"Yuichi-san!" Yuichi heard someone call his name. He turned around and saw one of his friends from the Shougi club.

"You made it through Homaru-kun," Yuichi smiled. "What about the other guys?"

"They didn't do so well in the exams," Homaru shook his head.

"Oh well, let's promise to go as far as we can in this tournament." The two of them locked pinkies. Just then, Yuichi heard a cackle from nearby. He and the others looked around and saw Paris, his sister Helena and the Julius brothers walking towards them.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the losers from B wing," Paris laughed. "So all of you second-stringers got selected eh? This just goes to show that this whole tournament is retarded. I can't believe that every single of you Rukongai scum scored top marks. It's insulting to our noble blood."

"What did you say?" Karin asked angrily.

"We're part of nobility too!" Yuzu protested. Helena and Bruticius laughed as Paris focused his gaze at Yuichi.

"Look out, Shibata Yuichi. I've become far more powerful than you could possible imagine. I look forward to crushing you under my feet as a token of my vengeance."

Yuichi wanted to say something but he resorted to staring at Paris as the four nobles turned their backs and left.

"Don't let them get to you, Yuichi-kun," Orihime whispered to him.

As all 128 participants finally arrived, they were ordered to register their names. Each participant received a slip indicating their block number and a paper copy of the tournament schedule. When Yuichi and the others walked into the gymnasium they saw it had undergone heavy conversion. There were now eight raised fighting platforms spread out through the hall. Overlooking the arenas were a series of temporary stands set up against the left and right hand walls, where teachers and fellow class-mates who had missed out sat cheering the participants on. The friends of B group wished each other luck as they went to their designated block.

When their names were called by an official they climbed onto their respective platforms. As he stared at his opponent, a muscular guy nearly twice as tall as him, Yuichi's whole body started shaking. He wasn't sure whether it was because he was afraid or he was excited. He took a deep breath and relaxed his body. The official overseeing the block blew his whistle and the match began.

"I'm going to crush you in one move little shrimp," the muscular guys gloated. Yuichi simply stared at him and smiled. The muscular guy pulled out his Zanpakuto and charged directly at Yuichi. Yuichi easily dodged the attack and Shunpo-ed behind his opponent. The crowd that were watching gasped when a large gash appeared down the muscular guy's side. Yuichi sheathed his sword as he watched his opponent drop to the ground.

"Shibata Yuichi advances to the next round," the official overseeing the fight declared. Yuichi jumped off the platform and walked over to see how his friends were doing. As it turned out, the others in his class won their matches with just as much ease. The same however, went for Paris and the other nobles in class A. At the end of the first round, there was a ten minute break.

"Those fights were so easy," Tatsuki said. "I didn't even have to use my sword."

"But your specialty is Hakuda," Orihime reminded her. Tatsuki snorted.

"Who cares how we won? The people we faced were fodder," Karin said. "I bet our next opponents are going to be much tougher. We'd better be on our guard."

"Especially if any of us encounters those guys from Class A," Yuichi added.

"Yeah, I think they're the only people who match us in power," Yuzu nodded. Soon the gong sounded, signalling the beginning of the second round.

Yuichi and the others proceeded through the second round with just as much ease as the first. In the third round however, Mizuiro had the misfortune of fighting Paris. Despite his best efforts, Mizuiro was utterly defeated.

"I can believe Mizuiro lost without Paris even drawing his sword," Keigo said. "He was as strong as I am."

"And I have to fight him next," Homaru whimpered. Yuichi did his best to encourage his friend, but all of them realized that the fourth round was going to be much tougher. Of the students in Class A, only Yuichi and Karin avoided having to use their Zanpakuto abilities. Orihime and Yuzu needed to release their Shikais in order to beat their opponents. The others however fared much worse.

In his match with Julius Cassius, Keigo was struggling to avoid being hit by a barrage of clay bombs that detonated soon after they hit the ground.

"Shit! I'm going to die if I get hit by one of them!" Keigo screamed.

"Ha, ha, ha, run all you want coward, but you'll never avoid my bombs!" Cassius gloated. He cast Hainawa on Keigo's legs, causing him to trip over. Keigo tried to break free but it was too late-one of Cassius's bombs landed beside him and exploded. The onlookers watched as the fourth division healers carried an unconscious Keigo away.

There was worse to come. In the next match, Chizuru faced Laodemon Helena, Paris' sister, and a stunningly good looking woman to boot.

"Oh my, you are so sexy," Chizuru ogled Helena's breasts. "If we didn't have to fight, I'd almost want to feel your boobs." Helena looked sickened when she saw Chizuru making a set of disturbing hand motions.

"Are you a lesbian or something?" Helena asked.

"Guilty as charged!" Chizuru's eyes lit up.

"Is that so? Well then, this is all too easy for me," Helena smirked. She pulled out her sword. "Entrance, Medusa!" Her Zanpakuto turned into a large circular mirror. Chizuru stared at the mirror's surface and was mesmerised at an image of a near naked Helena. The bystanders who were watching gasped when they saw Chizuru instantly turn into stone.

"What's with her Zanpakuto ability?" Karin asked.

"I hope Chizuru-san will be alright," Yuzu worried. The next match between Homaru and Paris ended with Homaru slashed across the front. A furious Yuichi gritted his teeth as he watched the healers apply immediate first aid to his friend. _Damn you, Paris_, he thought, as Paris glanced at him with an evil grin.

All eyes in the gymnasium turned to the final match of the fourth round, Tatsuki against Julius Bruticus. Having seen Mizuiro, Keigo and Chizuru go down, Tatsuki was determined not to follow them. She glanced to the side and saw Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu and Orihime cheering her on. _Thanks guys. I'll beat Bruticus and join you in the finals_, she thought.

"Heh, heh, I've been waiting a long time to get my revenge, Arisawa Tatsuki," Bruticus clenched his fists. "I still owe you for that beating you gave me in the first year."

"Still hung up about that? I thought you'd be over it by now," Tatsuki smirked. Bruticus snarled at her as the nearby official rang the bell, signalling the match to commence.

Wanting to finish it quickly, Tatsuki Shunpo-ed towards Bruticus and jumped into the air. She extended her legs and landed a full power kick at his face. _Got him_, Tatsuki thought. Her friends thought the same way, for Bruticus had been forced back nearly a foot. Then all of a sudden Bruticus laughed.

"Was that supposed to be a kick?" he asked. Tatsuki gasped in shock. _He isn't even hurt by my kick, what's going on?_ Before she could jump away Bruticus grabbed hold of her leg and slammed her onto the ground of the platform. Tatsuki landed hard on her back and felt something snap. It was her left leg. As Bruticus released his grasp, Tatsuki screamed in pain.

"Tatsuki-san!" Orihime cried out.

"This isn't good. Her leg's broken," Karin said.

"Ha, ha, ha, you can't fight me with one leg!" Bruticus laughed. He unsheathed his sword and raised his above his head. Just as he was about to swing it down, Tatsuki knocked him over with her right leg and with all of her strength got back onto her feet.

"I'm not going down this easily!" she yelled. She unsheathed her sword and chanted "Break the tide, Ryujin!" Her Zanpakuto changed into a red coloured knuckle gauntlet on her right hand. Bruticus was taken aback by the sudden change.

"Your Zanpakuto has become a knuckle?" he asked. Before he could get a response, Tatsuki Shunpo-ed right in front of him and punched him hard in the stomach. Her Shikai's knuckles penetrated Bruticus' skin, and shot four jets of superheated water through his body. Paris and his friends from Class A gasped as Bruticus spewed blood from his mouth.

"That friggin' hurt, bitch!" he swore. "I'm going to crush you like an ant! Sow, Discordia!" His Zanpakuto changed to a long pole arm with two circular black drums attached on either side. Tatsuki quickly withdrew her Shikai and tried to retreat, but when Bruticus swung his weapon Tatsuki was hit directly by it. The drums slammed into her head and sent her flying to the edge of the ring. Tatsuki's friends looked on with concern as Tatsuki struggled to get up.

"Ow, my head's throbbing like crazy," Tatsuki clutched the side of her head. It took a second to realise that blood was flowing down from her ears. _My eardrums have burst!_ She stared at Bruticus, who appeared to be shouting something at her. _I can't hear a thing_.

"What's she doing?" Yuichi asked as he saw Tatsuki stagger around.

"Look, she's bleeding from her ears!" Yuzu exclaimed. "She must have lost her sense of balance." Tatsuki's head throbbed so much she could barely stand on her right leg anymore. _Is this all I can do? After everything Yoruichi Sensei taught me, I'm going to go out like this?_ Tatsuki thought anxiously. Just then, she recalled something that Yoruichi had showed her once. _"Watch carefully, Arisawa-chan. This is a technique that combines Kido with Hakuda to explosively increase a Shinigami's offensive capabilities. It's an extremely difficult technique to master-even I don't have good control over it. For now I will teach you the basis..."_ The vision of Yoruichi's body surrounded by what looked like streaks of lightning flashed through Tatsuki's mind. _Thank you Sensei, I will finally use that move now_. Tatsuki gathered what remained of her Reiyoku and channelled it into her right fist. The spirit energy condensed into a solid white mass around the gauntlet and surrounded her right arm.

"What the hell is that?" Bruticus asked in confusions. None of the other students knew what Tatsuki's technique was.

"I'm going to hit you with everything I've got!" Tatsuki exclaimed. She let loose a high pitched scream before she charged at Bruticus again. The Shunko around her right arm solidified and crackled outwards as Tatsuki jumped into the air. She aimed her fist at Bruticus' head.

Unfortunately for Tatsuki, Bruticus reacted to her move before she could reach him. With a single swing of his Zanpakuto he sent a shockwave of air that sent Tatsuki flying out of platform. Her body impacted with one of the walls of the gymnasium before falling to the ground.

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime cried out. Without hesitation she rushed over to check on her friend. At the same time, the match officials declared Bruticus to be the winner of the match. Yuichi, Karin and Yuzu also ran over and knelt beside Tatsuki's body.

"How is she Orihime?" Karin asked.

"She's unconscious but her condition's stable," Orihime replied. "But as I feared, her left fibula has been broken, and her eardrums have been ruptured. I can stop her internal bleeding but it's going to be a while before she regains consciousness."

"I'll help you heal her too Orihime-chan," Yuzu offered. The two of them applied healing energy to Tatsuki as they waited for the healers to come. Yuichi and Karin stood up and stared at Paris and Bruticus, who were advancing towards them.

"How pathetic to see the bunch of you crying over your fallen friend," Paris taunted.

"Yeah, I can't believe she got knocked out by just one of my attacks. What a weakling," Bruticus laughed. Yuichi kept his emotions in check but Karin couldn't stop herself.

"You're going to pay for what you did to her!" she shouted at Bruticus.

"Oh really? Let's see you try now!" Bruticus tried to goad Karin, but Paris grabbed hold of his shoulder.

"Lay it off Bruticus. We don't want to cause trouble here. If you two want to avenge your nakama, do so in the finals. We'll be waiting for you there." Paris gave Yuichi and Karin a two fingered salute before he and Bruticus joined the rest of their gang and walked out of the gym. Yuichi and Karin could do nothing but watch as Orihime and Yuzu assisted the healers in carrying Tatsuki to the fourth division medical bays.

"We should go back to our dorms and get some rest," Karin said.

"The finals start in two days' time right? I'll train my hardest during this time," Yuichi said.

Over the following day, Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu and Orihime did the best they could to prepare themselves, as their nakama slowly recovered in hospital. The eight finalists and their family members received their official invitations to the Seireitei arena, with each competitor receiving a roster of the days' events and most importantly the tournament match-ups.

Yuichi woke up early next morning and quickly got changed into his uniform before dashing out of his apartment. Though he had been given a map showing the directions to the Seireitei arena, finding the place was still going to be a difficult task. He initially headed in the direction of the Sokyoku Hill before being directed by a passerby to turn around and head for the 7th and 8th division barracks. Yuichi Shunpo-ed across the roof tops to make up for the lost time and soon noticed a large crowd of people streaming towards a prominent building in the distance. At a closer distance, the building resolved itself into a gigantic amphitheatre nearly ten stories high. It was built entirely out of white marble tiles and consisted of multiple levels, each one supported by columns.

Yuichi gasped in awe at the structure, having never seen such a sight in his life. Even from this distance, he was intimidated by it is size and grandeur. At the thought of having to fight in such a vast space, Yuichi's body started shaking. _I bet the whole of the Gotei 13 will be watching me, I'm so nervous!_ He plucked up the courage to at least walk through the front gates. As he walked along the entrance corridor, he spotted amongst the crowd of people that had gathered two suspicious figures standing beside a corner. One of them Yuichi recognised as being Paris; the other bore a similar resemblance but was much older. To Yuichi it appeared as if they were conspiring something.

"I'm going to take a closer look," Yuichi said to himself. He approached the area where the two of them were talking and cast a Kido spell that the headmaster had taught him. It was called Hakufuku, White Concealment, and though Yuichi didn't have much practice with it, he was able to surround himself with a barrier. As he crept to within ten feet of Paris and the stranger he could hear what they were talking about.

"How are you going with the Zanpakuto I gave you, son?" the older man asked.

"Not bad at all. I've completely mastered my Shikai's movements," Paris replied.

"And what about Bankai?"

"I haven't had the chance to use it yet."

"I understand. Make sure no one knows about this until the final round. If word of it gets out...there will be severe consequences." As he saw the older man and Paris walk in separate directions, Yuichi couldn't believe what he had. _Bankai? He had a different Zanpakuto? I've got to tell the others!_ Yuichi released the Bakudo and hurried to the competitor's changing rooms.

"You're late," Karin said with annoyed expression as Yuichi entered the changing rooms.

"Where have you been Yuichi-kun? We got here twenty minutes before you did. The matches are about to begin any minute now and you're the first one up," Yuzu said.

"Sorry guys," Yuichi apologized. "I had trouble finding the directions for this place. Then when I got to the lobby area I overheard a conversation between a Paris and another man." He whispered the details to the three girls.

"What, Paris got his Zanpakuto from someone else?" Orihime asked.

"And you said they talked about a Bankai?" Karin and Yuzu were both stunned.

"I don't know if what they were talking about was true or not," Yuichi said.

"We've got to inform Onii-san about this!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"It's too late for that Yuzu. Ichi-nii can't force Paris out of the finals now," Karin shook her head. "We'll have to wait till the tournament finishes before they can take any action." Just as Karin finished that sentence one of the teachers from the Academy entered the changing rooms.

"Shibata Yuichi, come with me. Your match is about to start," the teacher said. Yuichi nodded. After getting wishes of good luck from his friends he followed the teacher up the stairs until they reached the surface. A bright light blinded Yuichi's eyes for a moment, before he finally gazed at the immense audience that had gathered inside the arena. As Yuichi tried to take in the enormity of it all, he realized the entire Gotei 13 were present. Also noticeable was almost every single student from the Academy across all five year levels. Yuichi didn't have long to look around for he was directed by the teacher to step onto the large stage at the centre of the arena. His opponent, Julius Cassius, walked on at the same time. Standing in the middle of the stage was the third seat of the fifth division and the deputy vice headmaster, Minazawa Taneko.

"Before we begin, I would first like to state out the rules of the tournament finals," Minazawa explained to both of them. "Each of you is allowed to fight to the fullest of your abilities. There is no time limit. The match is over when one of you forfeits, gets knocked out of bounds or is rendered unable to fight. However, you are not permitted to kill an opponent or use forbidden techniques. Either infringement will result in disqualification."

Both Yuichi and Cassius nodded when Minazawa asked them if they understood the rules. Minazawa blew the whistle and hastily left the platform. The two fighters stared at each other as the crowd cheered them on.

"You were the one who burnt Keigo right?" Yuichi asked.

"Yes, that was me!" Cassius gloated. "I blew him to kingdom come with my Zanpakuto! Want to see it?" Cassius unsheathed his sword from his scabbard and placed the blade against his left hand.

"Confound, Laverna!" Yuichi watched as Cassius' sword transformed into a brown hessian sack. For a moment Yuichi was slightly confused.

"Your Shikai is a bag?" Yuichi asked. Cassius smirked.

"It's no ordinary bag! This sack allows me to draw an infinite supply of bombs!" Cassius exclaimed. He reached into the sack and grabbed a white ball and threw it at Yuichi. Yuichi sidestepped the ball but was caught off guard as the ball exploded when it hit the ground.

"So that's what his power was," Yuichi said to himself. He brushed off the minor bruises he suffered as Cassius started throwing a succession of bombs at him. Instead of running away like Keigo, Yuichi decided to dodge and duck each of the bombs. After several misses however Cassius used Bakudo 4 Hainawa to bind Yuichi's leg.

"I'm going to blow you up just like I did to Asano!" Cassius laughed as he took a much larger ball and threw it at Yuichi. Yuichi saw the ball was aimed at his face. Knowing it would take too long to break free of the Bakudo, he pulled out his Zanpakuto.

"Glide from the Heavens, Yatagarasu," he said. His sword changed into a black double-bladed broadsword with a tip shaped like a crow's beak. As the ball neared his head Yuichi raised his Shikai up and sliced the ball in half, causing it to detonate well behind him.

"You...that Zanpakuto," Cassius muttered. Before he could react, Yuichi Shunpo-ed directly in front of him and thrust his Zanpakuto forward. A black beam of Reiyoku shot out of the tip and hit Cassius in the stomach. The beam was so powerful that it sent him flying out of the platform. The crowd gasped for a brief moment as they watched Cassius smash into one of the stands behind falling to the ground.

"The match is over! Shibata Yuichi is the winner!" Minazawa declared from the side. As Yuichi sheathed his Zanpakuto the entire crowd lit up in applause. He attempted to filter out their cheers from his mind as he walked down to the changing rooms.

"You were awesome out there Yuichi-kun!" Orihime exclaimed.

"Yeah kicked that Cassius guy really hard," Karin said.

"Thanks for the compliments guys." Yuichi smiled. He looked at Yuzu. "I guess you're up next. Good luck on your match." Yuzu winked at Yuichi as she exited the change rooms.

* * *

Gosh, I haven't updated this story in nearly five months. I had way too much other work to do, plus I was stumped for a while on how to continue. I hope this chapter is worth the wait. The next chapter will be the long awaited conclusion of the story

The Zanpakuto names for Paris and his friends are different from others. I decided to use Roman and Greek names for their Shikais since it fits with the historical background of the Laodemon and Julius clans.

Medusa: This is the Zanpakuto of Laodemon Helena, Paris' sister. It's based on the mythical Greek monster of the same name, who was known to turn anyone who looked at it into stone. Its release command is Entrance.

Discordia: This is Julius Bruticus' Zanpakuto. It's named after the Roman goddess of discord and strife. Its release command is Sow.

Laverna: This is Julius Cassius' Zanpakuto. It's named after the Roman goddess of trickery. Its release command is Confound.


	16. Chapter 16: The Finals Conclusion

**Bleach Fanstory: ****Shinigami Academy**

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: After spending nearly a year as apprentices under the Gotei 13 captains, the fifth year Academy students sat their final graduation examinations. When the written, Kido and Hohou tests ended and the results were released, the Headmaster Kurosaki Ichigo made a surpising announcement. The 128 students who scored the highests results in the three examinations were to participate in a Zanjutsu and Hakuda Tournament. The finalists of the tournament were to receive the special honour of being instantly promoted into seated officer class on graduating. Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu, Orihime, Tatsuki, and their friends in Class B1, took part in the tournament. As the rounds progressed and the number of contestants dwindled the B1 students found themselves against the students from class A1 led by Paris. Mizuiro, Keigo, Chizuru and Tatsuki were all defeated, leaving Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu and Orihime to fight it out in the finals against Paris, Bruticus, Helena and Cassius. The finals took place inside the enormous Seireitei Stadium, watched by a crowd of tens of thousands of spectators. The first match of the finals saw Yuichi easily defeat Cassius...

* * *

Chapter 16: The Finals Conclusion

Yuzu walked nervously onto the platform in the centre of the arena. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed her brother Ichigo and her father Isshin staring at her. Knowing they were keenly observing her match made her even more nervous, as she knew she couldn't disappoint them. She turned to face her opponent, Laodemon Helena. Having watched Chizuru's fight against her, Yuzu knew she was a difficult opponent. _I have to be careful of her Shikai_, she thought.

"Before we begin, let me ask you one question," Helena said to Yuzu. "Why do you associate yourself with Rukongai folk? You're the princess of the Shiba clan, are you not? You should act more like me."

"As if," Yuzu replied back in a fashion that shocked Helena. "Those Rukongai folk you're talking about are my nakama. I was friends with them before I even came to Soul Society."

"Is that so? Then you and your whole family are Rukongai trash after all," Helena snickered. Yuzu was so offended by her taunt that she unsheathed her sword and charged at Helena. Helena unsheathed her sword and blocked Yuzu's attack. The two girls then exchanged a series of blows at each, with each strike being countered by a well-timed block.

Wanting to end the stalemate, Helena suddenly backed away and pointed her left hand outwards.

"Hadou 31, Shakkaho!" she shouted. A red ball of energy shot out of her hand. Instead of dodging the attack, Yuzu countered with her own attack. She shouted "Hadou 33, Soukatsui!" and fired a blue beam of energy. The two attacks collided in a mid air explosion.

"Hmph, it seems your Kidou skills are better than mine," Helena quipped. "Very well then, it is time for you to see my true powers!" She held her sword vertically in front her and called out "Entrance, Medusa!" Her Zanpakuto transformed into a large circular mirror. Yuzu remembered what happened to Chizuru and refrained from directly glancing at the mirror's surface. _I have to attack her from behind_, she thought.

"Trying to avoid being turned to stone eh? Too bad it's futile for you," Helena said. As Yuzu Shunpo-ed behind her Helena turned around and pointed her mirror at Yuzu's left arm. The mirror shot out a beam of light that covered Yuzu's left arm. In an instant Yuzu's arm was petrified. Yuzu glanced at her now frozen arm in shock. She couldn't it move it all.

"Without an arm you're finished," Helena stated.

"Don't count me out yet," Yuzu retorted. "Enchant, Youseihime!" Her sword transformed into a blue coloured wand. Yuzu placed the wand against her left arm.

"Shunzen," as Yuzu spoke the word, the petrifaction of her arm was undone, much to the dismay of Helena. With the free movement of her left arm again, Yuzu pointed it at Helena and chanted another spell. "Bakudo 61, Rikujokorou." Six yellow rods of light slammed into Helena's waist, pinning her to the ground.

"What is this? I can't move my legs at all!" she exclaimed. Yuzu's Kido surprised many of the Gotei 13 officers, including even the captains.

"Impressive, she managed to cast a level 60 Bakudo spell without a chant," Tessai whispered to Ichigo who was sitting beside him.

"Yuzu-chan's always had a good control of her reiatsu," Ichigo smiled.

"This is it, I'm going to defeat you now," Yuzu stated. She pointed her want at Helena's head. "Shou!" A black beam of light shot out of the wand. As Helena watched the beam fly towards her, she couldn't help but laugh.

"You fell into my trap," she said. Helena blocked the beam with her Zanpakuto and redirected it back at Yuzu. Totally caught by surprise, Yuzu didn't have time to defend herself. Her own black beam hit her squarely in the chest.

"Yuzu!" Karin cried out from the changing rooms as she watched her sister topple over. Without hesitation Karin ran towards the stairs.

"Wait Karin-san! They haven't called you out yet!" Yuichi exclaimed.

"I don't care!" Karin shouted back. She ran as fast she could up the stairs until she reached the surface. She spotted Yuzu lying unconscious in the middle of the platform and tried to climb onto it without a second thought. She was stopped in her tracks when Minazawa grabbed the back of her Shihakusho.

"What do you think you're doing, Kurosaki Karin?" Minazawa asked.

"I'm going to look after my sister!" Karin protested.

"There's no need for that. The fourth division healers are here already." Minazawa pointed to a group of Shinigami with green armbands that were gathering around Yuzu. They placed her onto a stretcher and carried her off the platform.

"Yuzu will receive treatment in the medical bay. Her injury isn't that serious so I expect she'll recover in a day or so," Minazawa glanced at the scoreboard and sighed. "Well, seeing as you're already present, we can begin the next match straight away." Karin was allowed to walk onto the platform and waited for her opponent, Julius Bruticus to arrive. Bruticus carried a sheepish grin with him as he confronted Karin.

"I saw what Helena-san did to your sister," Bruticus snickered. "That's what I'm going to do to you." Karin simply glared at Bruticus with a pair of cold, unforgiving eyes. Minazawa blew the whistle and the match began. Bruticus immediately tried to punch at Karin the same way he attacked Tatsuki in the previous round. Unlike Tatsuki, Karin was much quicker and easily dodged his attack.

"Che, you've got some speed," Bruticus quipped as his fist punched the ground. Karin circled around Bruticus using a series of short ranged flash steps, trying to find an opening. She remembered what happened when Tatsuki attacked Bruticus with a kick. _He's too strong in a Hakuda contest,_ Karin thought. _All right then, I'll use Kido_. She avoided another punch from Bruticus and jumped into the air. She thrust her right arm outward and shouted "Hadou 31, Shakkaho!" A red ball of energy shot out of her hand and blew up in Bruticus' face.

"Look what you've done to my beautifully sculpted face you bitch!" Bruticus swore. Karin noticed the blast had burnt his hair and eyebrows. Out of desperation Bruticus unsheathed his sword and called out "Sow, Discordia!" His Zanpakuto turned into a long stick with a pair of steel drums attached to the end. He swung the stick in a long horizontal arc, creating a shockwave in the air he hoped would rupture Karin's ear drums. Karin landed on the ground to avoid the shockwave and then jumped into the air again as Bruticus swung his stick again. _I'd better finish this quick_, Karin thought. She drew out her sword.

"Spin, Gozenhoshi," Karin said. Her Zanpakuto changed into a black metallic gauntlet that covered her right hand. Using the gauntlet's power Karin summoned a yellow sphere of energy the size of a soccer ball. As she slowly descended towards the ground Karin kicked the ball with all of her strength. The ball hit Bruticus squarely in the nose, shattering it and sending him toppling onto his back. The entire crowd was silent as Minazawa confirmed whether or not Bruticus was unconscious or not.

"The match is over. Kurosaki Karin is the winner!" Minazawa declared after noticing that Bruticus was down for the count. Karin returned her Zanpakuto to normal and headed down to the changing rooms. She was greeted by an ecstatic Yuichi and Orihime.

"Thanks for avenging Tatsuki, Karin-chan," Orihime said as she held Karin's hand.

"No problem. I was just relieving some of my anger and frustration out on him," Karin said. A short while later another match official came into the room, asking for Orihime.

"Good luck Orihime," Yuichi offered his support. "Take care of yourself."

"Thanks Yuichi-chan," Orihime smiled as she followed the match official. When she was gone both Yuichi and Karin glanced at the screen.

"Do you think Orihime stands any chance against Paris?" Karin asked Yuichi.

"I don't know. If the conversation I overheard is true, Paris is probably more powerful than we could imagine," Yuichi replied.

Orihime walked nervously towards the centre of the platform. She was shivering as she looked at her opponent, Laodemon Paris. The spiritual pressure that was coming from him was so strong that Orihime started sweating from her brow. _What's with his reiatsu?_ Orihime wandered.

"I can't believe I have to face a weakling like you first up," Paris groaned. "This isn't going to provide me much of a workout at all." Orihime was too disturbed by his words to answer back. Minazawa blew the whistle, signalling the match to begin.

Knowing that she stood no chance in a direct sword fight, Orihime jumped backwards and pointed both of her hands at Paris.

"Bakudo 9, Horin!" she called out. A yellow and orange coloured tendril of reiatsu shot out of her left hand and wrapped itself around Paris' waist, with the end of the tendril attached to Orihime's left index and middle fingers. Orihime placed her right hand on the tendril and chanted," Hadou 11, Tsuzuri Raiden!" A surge of electricity ran down the tendril and struck Paris, bathing him in a set of sparks. Paris momentarily grimaced as the electricity ran through his body but then he grinned evilly. With a burst of reiatsu he broke free of the tendrils, to Orihime's complete and utter shock.

"No...way...it didn't affect him the slightest," Orihime stuttered.

"Did you really think those puny Kido spells would hurt me? You should have gone for something more powerful," Paris said to her in a condescending voice. He unsheathed his sword. "Oh well, it was folly of me to expect something spectacular from you. I'll just have to finish you quickly." He charged at Orihime and slashed at her mid section. Orihime barely had time to pull out her sword. She managed to block Paris' initial strike but Paris was still able to land a hit, slicing a large gash across Orihime's left upper arm. Orihime jumped back another step and clutched her arm in pain. _This wound is nothing to me_, she thought. Using the knowledge she had gained whilst working in the fourth division, she applied her Reiyoku to the wound. The gash quickly closed up.

"So, you know how to heal yourself," Paris commented. "It won't do you any good I'm afraid." As Paris readied to strike again, Orihime grabbed her sword again and chanted, "Summon, Shun-Shun Rikka." The audience gasped in amazement as her Zanpakuto disintegrated. It was replaced by a twin set of hair clips along the sides of face. Seeing that she was defenceless, Paris seized the opportunity to attack. Before his sword landed a hit, it was repelled by a yellow shield of pure spirit energy.

"What is this?" Paris asked. Orihime's shield was large enough to protect her entire front body. _I can't use Koten Zanshun whilst Santen Kesshun is out...my only chance is to catch him off guard,_ Orihime thought. She kept up the shield as she tried to circle around Paris.

"I never thought I would be using it but you leave me no choice," Paris sighed. "Bite, Basiliscus." His Zanpakuto changed form. Its handle fused with Paris' skin, forming an organic guard that covered his entire lower arm. The upper part of the blade merged with the guard, becoming green and scaly. The lower part of the blade lengthened into a point as sharp as a needle. Orihime was stunned by the appearance of Paris' Shikai.

"Here I come," Paris said. Before Orihime could react he Shunpo-ed behind her body and stabbed her in the waist. It was only a small wound and to Orihime it felt like a prick. But a second later a sharp surge of pain spread outwards from the wound and paralysed her entire body. _What's happening to me? It feels like my whole body is numb_. Her shield disappeared and her Zanpakuto reverted to its seal state. Orihime's eyesight started becoming blurry as her mind wavered.

"Feeling the effects of my Zanpakuto already?" Paris laughed. "I've injected you with a small but potent dosage of venom. It's not enough to kill you but in a few seconds you won't even be conscious." True to his words, Orihime quickly lost consciousness and collapsed onto her back.

"What's happened to Orihime?" Yuichi asked as he and Karin watched from the changing rooms.

"She's been poisoned," Karin said. "It must be an ability of Paris' Zanpakuto. The two of them could only watch on in despair as a group of fourth division healers applied immediate first aid to stop the spread of the poison and proceeded to carry her to the medical bays.

"Shibata Yuichi, it is time for your match again," a match official appeared at the door. Still seething with rage at what happened to Orihime, Yuichi marched up the stairs and onto the platform just as Paris got off. Paris gave Yuichi a condescending smirk as he walked down the stairs. Yuichi struggled to control his emotions.  
"Is Orihime going to be okay?" he asked Minazawa.

"I don't know. All we can count on is for the medical team to figure out the effects of the poison and come up with an antidote as soon as possible," Minazawa replied. His words gave Yuichi encouragement as he walked onto the platform for the second time. Facing him was Paris' sister, Helena, the person who had rendered Yuzu unconsciousness.

"I pity your fallen friend," Helena giggled. "Paris can't control himself sometimes. Even with that small wound it will take days for her to recover."

"I don't care. All I'm focused on right now is paying you back for what you did to Yuzu-san," Yuichi replied.

"Oh ho, ho, ho, still worked up about that? I thought you would have more self control." Helena and Yuichi stared at each other as Minazawa gave the signal for the match to begin. Without hesitation Yuichi unsheathed his sword and charged at Helena. Before Helena could pull out her sword Yuichi was already behind her. A second later a large gash appeared down her right side, causing her to spurt out blood.

"You bastard!" Helena swore at him as she tried to stem the bleeding with her reiatsu. "You're going to pay for this!" She unsheathed her sword and shouted out, "Entrance, Medusa!" Her Zanpakuto transformed into a large circular mirror. Helena pointed the mirror at Yuichi and fired the same beam of light she had used against Yuzu. Yuichi dodged the beam and called out," Glide from the Heavens, Yatagarasu." His Zanpakuto transformed into a large double bladed black sword.

"I've got you now!" Helena yelled. She fired another beam of light at Yuichi again. Instead of dodging Yuichi held his sword with both hands in front of his body and said the word "Kojiki". A black shield of reiatsu grew outwards from both sides of the blade and completely covered Yuichi's body. Helena's beam of light hit the shield and was deflected into the stands.

"Impossible! There's nothing that can repel my petrifaction ray!" Helena exclaimed.

"That beam of light is like a Kido spell, am I correct?" Yuichi asked. "Then it can be repelled or deflected by any barrier or shield made of reiatsu." Before Helena could make another move, Yuichi released his shield and pointed his left hand at her.

"Hadou 1, Sho," he uttered. The force of his Kido spell was enough to push Helena out of the platform. She skidded along the ground before hitting her head against a wall.

"A ring out. The winner of the match is Shibata Yuichi!" Minazawa called out. Yuichi returned his Zanpakuto to its sealed state and was about to return to the changing rooms when he heard a voice from behind.

"SHIBATA!!!" Paris yelled out. "How dare you injure my sister!" Yuichi was surprised by his sudden outburst.

"What's the matter? I just payed her back for what she did to Yuzu-san. That is all," Yuichi said. Paris was so enraged he was about to attack Yuichi when Minazawa restrained him. Yuichi chuckled slightly as he walked down to the change rooms.

"Looks like I pissed Paris off," he whispered to Karin.

"Ha, serves him right!" Karin laughed. "Now he knows how I felt when Yuzu went down."

"You better be careful Karin. He's not going to hold back as he did against Orihime."

"I know." Yuichi whished Karin good luck as she walked up the stairs. As Karin stepped onto the platform in the centre of the stadium she sensed the disturbing reiatsu that was emanating from Paris. Yuichi's warning wasn't far off the mark; Karin could feel Paris' killing intent. _I guess he's really mad at seeing sister go down_, Karin thought. Paris stared at her with a pair of malevolent eyes.

"I really feel like killing Shibata Yuichi right now, and you are simply a gnat standing in my way," Paris said.

"A gnat? Is that what I am to you? I'm no pushover like Orihime!" Karin protested. Minazawa blew the whistle, signalling the match to begin. In an instant Paris unsheathed his sword and charged at Karin.

"I'll finish you in one blow," he declared. Karin anticipated his attack and sidestepped his swing at the last moment. She unsheathed her sword just in time to block Paris' second strike. Paris' power was greater than Karin expected however and she soon found herself being pushed back. _Where did he get this strength from?_ Karin wondered. Just as Paris was about to break through her guard Karin Shunpo-ed backward. Paris somehow predicted her movements and before Karin could find her footing again he fired a Soukatsui spell at her feet.

"That was close," Karin said to herself as she jumped high into the air to avoid the explosion. It took her a second to realize that Paris had also jumped up, too late to react to a sword that was aimed at her eyes. Karin tried to dodge the attack but Paris managed to graze her right cheek. She landed on the ground again, with blood flowing down her face.

"You're weaker than I expected. It took me longer to wound the previous opponent I faced," Paris smiled. Karin was still recovering her breath. _He's right; I can't match him in a straight out sword fight_, she thought.

"I guess I have no choice but to use it early. Spin, Gozenhoshi!" Karin shouted. Her Zanpakuto changed into a black metallic gauntlet that covered her right hand. She summoned a yellow energy ball using the gauntlet and kicked it at Paris. Paris easily sidestepped the ball as it flew at him.

"Do you think I'd fall for that so easily?" he taunted Karin.

"No, but I doubt you anticipated this," Karin retorted. With a gesture of her hand she caused the energy ball to fly back in the opposite direction with even greater speed. Paris jumped into the air to avoid being hit, but Karin wasn't finished yet. With another gesture she caused the ball to detonate in a mid-air explosion. When the smoke cleared it was evident that Paris had suffered some superficial burns to his face and hands.

"I'm impressed that you were able to wound me like this," Paris grinned. "But you stand no chance against the full power of my Zanpakuto. Bite, Basiliscus." Karin watched as his Zanpakuto changed into a scaly green blade that was fused with his arm. Having seen what it did to Orihime, Karin knew she had to avoid being scratched by it. She summoned another energy ball again and kicked at Paris. As the ball neared him Paris knocked it back towards Karin with his Shikai. Karin did a mid-air back flip and kicked the ball again, imbuing it with even greater speed and power. Momentarily surprised by the manoeuvre, Paris resorted to cutting the ball in half, causing it to explode behind him.

"Tch, I was so close with that attack!" Karin cursed herself.

"You almost got me there," Paris admitted. "And it appears that I can't get close to you if you keep on kicking those annoying spheres at me. But, you still don't stand a chance against me. Behold, my Zanpakuto's true ability..." Karin watched as Paris Zanpakuto glowed a bright green. Then all of a sudden a stream of green liquid shot out of the tip. Karin attempted to dodge it but the liquid splashed onto her legs. Karin screamed as she felt the top layer of her skin being eaten away. The acid was so potent that it spread through her muscles and right into her bloodstream. The pain was too unbearable for Karin to even stand, and she collapsed onto her back. At this moment she looked up to see Paris standing over her.

"You're finished," Paris said with a cold tone. In a last desperate act Karin charged another energy ball and threw it at him. Paris deflected the ball into the air before raising his sword above Karin's chest. Just as he was about to deliver the final blow, Minazawa interrupted the match.

"Halt your action, Laodemon Paris," Minazawa said as he walked onto the platform. "You were about to perform a killing blow on a defenceless opponent."

"Defenceless? She freaking attacked me another one of her Shikai moves!" Paris complained. Minazawa shook his head.

"Kurosaki Karin is clearly unable to get up anymore. You could have finished her with a sealed blade. This match is over." Paris gave Minazawa a condescending grunt before he sheathed his sword and stepped down from the platform.

"Karin!" Yuichi cried as he watched a team of healers carry away on a stretcher. He slumped to his knees in despair. All of his friends had been injured; he was the only one left. _Do I really stand a chance against Paris? _He thought to himself. Just then the door to the changing room opened and this time it was Minazawa himself who greeted Yuichi.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Karin," Minazawa offered his condolences. "She's been poisoned quite badly but she'll recover in the medical bay."

"Thanks for the gestures Minazawa-san," Yuichi said. He followed the third seat up the stairs and onto the arena platform for the final time. Awaiting him was Paris, who had returned to the platform a short after receiving a brief medical treatment.

The people in the surrounding audience were almost at a fever pitch, for the long awaited final match was about to begin. Even the captains were extremely curious about how the battle between these two prodigies of the Academy would pan out.

"Who do you think is stronger?" the thirteenth division captain Isshin asked his son.

"It's hard to tell. Yuichi-kun's grown amazingly strong but there's something unusual about Paris' reiatsu," Ichigo replied.

"How long have I waited to get my revenge upon you," Paris wondered. "I shall savour this moment when your head is beneath my feet." Yuichi remembered the first defeat he inflicted upon Paris way back in the first year. It had been their only genuine match, and it was evident to Yuichi that Paris still hadn't gotten over it.

"I'm not only fighting for myself you know," Yuichi said. "I'm also fighting for my nakama. They may have fallen but I carry their wills inside my heart." At this point the third seat Minazawa blew the whistle and with a loud bang the final match of the Academy tournament began.

"What a load of crap!" Paris retorted at Yuichi's statement. He unsheathed his sword and Shunpo-ed behind Yuichi, aiming for his neck. Yuichi unsheathed his sword and blocked Paris' strike.

"That was a Senka, wasn't it?" Yuichi asked Paris. "Trying to get behind my back and catch me off guard huh? Too bad I saw it coming." The two combatants grinded their swords against each other before facing off again.

"I hoped to end it in a single strike, but you leave me no choice-I will crush you down with brute force!" Paris exclaimed. He and Yuichi charged at each other and exchanged a series of lightning fast blows across the platform. Paris repeatedly thrust his sword at Yuichi's head but Yuichi parried all of them and counterattacked with horizontal swings. After a few more exchanges, Paris leaped into the air and fired a Soukatsui spell at Yuichi. Yuichi saw the attack coming and held his sword horizontally in front of himself.

"Bakudo 37, Enkosen," he chanted. A circular yellow shield expanded outward from his sword and blocked the brunt of the blue energy blast before shattering into a dozen pieces. The force of Paris' spell pushed him back several feet but Yuichi was unharmed.

"Tch, I can't believe you blocked my attack," Paris grunted. "Very well then, I shall cut you down with my Shikai. Bite, Basiliscus!" As he saw Paris' Zanpakuto change form, Yuichi knew it was time to release his Zanpakuto.

"Glide from the heavens, Yatagarasu," he chanted. The two students faced each other with their Shikais. Yuichi gripped his doubled bladed broadsword with both hands, whilst Paris raised his transformed sword arm. After a second of eye contact the two of them clashed blades again. Paris attempted to stab Yuichi again, knowing that if he inflicted even the smallest of wounds then victory would be his. Yuichi blocked as many strikes as he could and dodged the ones that came to close. _I'll get poisoned if he wounds me_, Yuichi thought. Realizing it was too dangerous to fight in close combat, Yuichi Shunpo-ed away from Paris.

"Aha, trying to avoid getting poisoned are you? Too bad you can't escape me!" Paris laughed. He shot a stream of green acid from the tip of his Zanpakuto, aimed at Yuichi's head. Yuichi saw the stream coming and instead of dodging it he held Yatagarasu in front of him and chanted "Kojiki". A black shield of reiatsu surrounded his entire front body. The stream of acid hit the shield and dissolved. Paris swore as he saw his attack dissipate.

"This time I won't miss," he muttered. Paris Shunpo-ed behind Yuichi and attempted to shoot at his back. Yuichi anticipated his move and in a lightning quick reflex turned around, pointed his blade at Paris' stomach and shouted "Karasu Bakuha!" A black spirit energy blast shaped like a crow's head shot out of Yuichi's blade and struck Paris in the torso, sending him flying backwards before dissipating. Paris was left lying on the ground, his head almost out of bounds. A deep red batch appeared around his stomach. Yuichi was amazed to see Paris get onto his feet again.

"You bastard! I'm going to make you pay!" Paris coughed up blood as he shouted. "Watch carefully, this is something that even you have not achieved. Bankai!"

"What did he say?" Yuichi asked as Paris was surrounded by a cloud of smoke. Even though he couldn't see, Yuichi could feel Paris' reiatsu increase dramatically. As the smoke thinned out, Yuichi could make out a large intimidating shape. When the smoke the finally cleared, the entire audience gasped. Appearing in front of them was a monstrous creature. It resembled a giant chicken, but it had scaly green skin and its tail was like a serpent. From its mouth the creature breathed a green noxious gas.

"What the hell is this thing?" Yuichi asked. Paris grinned.

"This is my Bankai, Ouja Basiliscus," he stated."

"No way, it can't be!" Yuichi stuttered. His whole body trembled in fear. _How can I go against someone who has achieved Bankai?_ It wasn't just Yuichi who was surprised. Most of the senior Gotei 13 officers including the captains had also been caught off guard.

"Did this brat just release Bankai?" Renji asked.

"There's no way an Academy student could ever attain a materialization of his Zanpakuto, let alone attain Bankai," Rukia added. "Something must be wrong here."

"He could have done it with a special Bankai materialization doll, but such a device is forbidden within the Academy, and even amongst the Gotei 13 only Urahara is known to possess one," Ichigo commented.

"What do you think Ichigo-san? Shall we cancel the match?" Tessai asked.

"Let's wait and see. If my hunch is correct, Paris shouldn't be able to control it. Just ask Hachigen to place barriers around the stands." As a set of force fields went up and surrounded the platform, Paris's giant basilisk stomped towards a still trembling Yuichi.

"I shall bring you to the brink of death with my Bankai!" Paris exclaimed. The basilisk opened its mouth and shot a stream of green poison at Yuichi. Yuichi jumped into the air in an attempt to dodge it but the poison struck him directly in the stomach. Yuichi fell onto the ground and clutched his waist in pain. He could feel the poisonous acid eat through his skin. His eyesight started to blur and his arms and legs slowly became numb. _Am I going to die?_ Yuichi thought. He could barely make out the figure of the giant basilisk towering over him. The creature let out an inhuman screech that sounded like a cross between rooster's call and a snake's hiss.

"Finish him off," Paris ordered his Bankai. Instead of obeying his orders, the basilisk suddenly stomped away and started shooting its acid in different directions.

"Stupid bird! I told you to finish him off!" Paris yelled in frustration.

"Look, he's losing control of it!" Rukia exclaimed. Ichigo nodded. _Now's the time to counterattack, Yuichi-kun_, he thought to himself.

Yuichi however was struggling just to stay conscious. The poison had entered his bloodstream and was spreading dangerously close to his heart. He tried desperately to stand on his feet. _It's no use, I can't even get up anymore_, Yuichi thought as collapsed onto his side.

"_Are you that weak, Yuichi-kun?"_ his Zanpakuto's voice echoed in his ear.

"_Yata-san?"_ Yuichi communicated with his Zanpakuto

"_You have more than enough strength to overcome this poison."_

_"But it's almost reached my heart!"  
"Mind over matter, boy! You've survived greater obstacles than this before. Draw out your inner spirit. Use all of my power if you need it. With our combined force we can overcome anything that hinders us." _At this moment Yuichi realized what his Zanpakuto meant. The poison was just like any other spiritual substance; it could be overcome with enough willpower. Drawing upon his reserves of spirit energy, Yuichi stemmed the flow of the poison. He then stood up and gripped Yatagarasu with both hands.

"_Alright Yata-san, please lend me your power_" Yuichi said. A moment later a large aura of reiatsu appeared around his body and his spiritual pressure increased dramatically.

"This reiatsu...it's greater than a lieutenant's!" Renji exclaimed. Yuichi saw that Paris was still trying to control his Zanpakuto. He knew this was the moment to finish him. He charged all of his reiatsu into his blade and pointed it at the giant basilisk.

"KARASU BAKUHA!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. An immense black energy blast shot out of the blade's tip and scythed through the basilisk's body, before slamming into a force field. The basilisk let out a final screeched as it stumbled backwards and toppled out of the platform. As it landed on its back it crushed Paris under its weight. For a moment the audience went silent as they observed the truly amazing sight. Then they gasped again as Paris' Zanpakuto returned to its sealed form before shattering in a dozen pieces. Minazawa ordered Hachigen to lower the force field and inspected Paris, before facing the crowd.

"Laodemon Paris has been knocked out of bounds. Shibata Yuichi is the winner of the tournament!" he declared. Nearly everyone in the stadium went up in a chorus of cheers.

"He, he, he, looks like I've won," Yuichi smiled. His Zanpakuto returned to its sealed form and he fell onto his front unconscious. A team of fourth division healers quickly attended his body. As Ichigo, Rukia and the other Academy teachers got out of their seats and walked towards the centre of the arena, the drama near the platform was far from finished. Paris had struggled to his feet, with dripping from his mouth and chest. He clutched what was left of his Zanpakuto and staggered towards Yuichi.

"This isn't over, it isn't over!" he shouted. "I'm still standing!" Just as he neared the fourth division healers, Ichigo suddenly appeared in front of him. With a single gesture Ichigo immobilized Paris' body.

"What do you think you're doing? The match is finished," Ichigo said to Paris.

"F, Fuck you," Paris swore at Ichigo. Ichigo responded by flattening Paris with his spiritual pressure. As Paris fell onto his knees, Ichigo grabbed hold of his Zanpakuto.

"As I thought, this isn't an ordinary asauchi blade," Ichigo said. "There's a reiatsu signature of another person. My hunch was correct; you've been using someone else's Zanpakuto-a person who's achieved Bankai." Ichigo suddenly noticed a figure jump from the stands and land in the middle of the platform. It was Paris' father, Laodemon Priam. Priam grabbed hold of son and lifted him onto his shoulders.

"You'll pay for this," Priam sneered at Ichigo. "Someday, I'll make you, your family and your nakama wish you've never messed with me in the first place!" Before Ichigo could react, Priam Shunpo-ed away along with Paris.

"What was that about Ichigo?" Rukia asked as she landed beside him.

"It appears that Priam managed to get Paris to use a Zanpakuto that belonged to another Shinigami," Ichigo replied. "Furthermore, it appears he found a way for Paris to achieve Bankai in a short space of time."

"Should we investigate what Priam's been up to then?"

"I guess so. But for now, we'll expel Paris from the academy and debar him from entering the Gotei 13. Let's go now. We've got a promotion ceremony to arrange." With that, Ichigo and Rukia left the Seireitei arena...

* * *

Yuichi woke up and found himself sleeping on a bed in the fourth division ward. He wondered what had happened when was suddenly greeted by the faces of Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki.

"You're finally awake Yuichi-kun," Orihime smiled.

"How long was I out for?" Yuichi asked.

"For more than 30 hours," Karin replied.

"30 hours? What happened whilst I was unconscious?" Yuichi panicked.

"Oh nothing much," Yuzu said. "I spoke to Onii-san and he said the enlistment ceremony is going to be held tomorrow.

"What's more, all of us are going to become seated officers!" Tatsuki exclaimed.

"Really? That's awesome," Yuichi was happy. "What about Paris and his friends?"

"I think Onii-san said that he expelled Paris from the Academy," Karin said. "As for the other three I'm not sure what's going to happen to them. They might enlist in the Gotei 13 but they certainly won't become seated officers."

"That's good to hear," Yuichi sighed in relief.

* * *

On the following day, Yuichi, Karin, Yuzu, Orihime and Tatsuki joined their fellow B group classmates and the roughly one thousand or so students at the official Gotei 13 enlistment ceremony. Held at the bottom of the steps to the Senzaikyu, the ceremony was attended by the captains and lieutenants from all 13 divisions, along with various other seated officers and officials. With the help of the Commander General Unohana, the headmaster of the academy Kurosaki Ichigo handed out Shihakushos and division insignia to each individual student.

After all of the regular students had been inducted into their divisions, Ichigo motioned for Yuichi and his friends to stand in the centre in front of their peers.

"The five of you have all demonstrated exceptional talent, ability and leadership in various endeavours that are worthy of an officer status," Ichigo said to them. "Therefore, it is fitting that you shall all be promoted to seated officers." Ichigo read out their official ranks one at a time. Tatsuki was now the 9th seat of the 2nd Division, Orihime and Yuzu became 8th seats of their respective divisions; Karin was awarded the 7th seat of the 8th division, and finally Yuichi r was given the ranking of 6th seat of the 5th division. All five of them received their customary Shihakusho with a special seated officer insignia. With that the induction ceremony came to an end and Ichigo gave all of the former students a final parting gesture.

"You know, I'm going to miss our days at the Academy," Tatsuki said.

"Me too," Yuzu nodded. "We won't have as much spare time anymore."

"At least we'll still be able to see each other regularly right?" Orihime asked.

"Of course," Karin smiled.

"We'll be friends forever," Yuichi said. The five of them shook hands for the last time.

* * *

At last this story has ended. The last few chapters took ages to write but I'm finally finished. For those who have followed this story even during the hiatus, the good news is that my upcoming story won't take as long to come out. This chapter was by far the longest I've ever written, and even then I had to shorten the length of a few scenes.

This chapter also sees the introduction of a few new Zanpakutos and abilities.

Basiliscus: Paris' Shikai. It is named after the legendary mythical monster, the basilisk. Like Bruticus, Cassius, and Helena, I decided to use a Greek name for his Zanpakuto.

Kojiki: One of Yatagarasu's special abilities. It's named after the collection of myths about the origins of the islands of Japan and the Kami. I thought it was a appropriate name considering Yatagarasu's mythological links.

Ouja Basiliscus: Paris' Bankai. I decided to use a combination of Japanese and Greek words, with Ouja meaning a king, so the name basically means King Basilisk. I relied on the depiction of the basilisk as a cross between a giant chicken and a lizard rather than a snake.

Karasu Bakuha: Yatagarasu's second ability. It means 'crow blast' in Japanase. It's similar to Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho in that it fires a concentrated burst of spirit energy.


End file.
